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Employment-Related Geographic Mobility (E-RGM), Place Attachment, and Philanthropy: Interconnections and Implications for Rural Community Well-Being in Newfoundland and Labrador

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Abstract

Rural communities in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) are home to diverse individuals that are often deeply connected to their communities and province, living within a landscape of dramatic coastlines and boreal ecosystems. However, these communities have faced numerous challenges and changes related to employment and local economies since the 1992–93 cod fishing moratorium, including a rise in employment-related geographic mobility (E-RGM). This paper recognizes the emergent potential of local, place-based philanthropy (in the form of monetary donations and volunteerism) as a strategy to overcome identified socio-economic challenges and to build resilience in rural communities. This paper considers the research question: What is the relationship between philanthropy and community wellbeing (CWB) in rural regions experiencing heightened place attachment and participation in E-RGM? We draw on prevailing arguments from existing scholarly literature that assert that with heightened place attachment, engagement in philanthropic activity increases, which in turn fosters CWB and development. However, when considering E-RGM, this relationship becomes more complicated due to demanding schedules and nuanced attachments to multiple places. We conclude that while place attachment increases the likelihood that someone will engage in E-RGM instead of relocating permanently, many mobile workers participating in E-RGM donate less money than locally-employed workers and volunteer less. Mobile workers also demonstrated a greater diversity in the organizations receiving their donations outside the local community versus locally employed workers whose donations largely remained within their communities.

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Data Availability

All survey and interview data collected as part of this study remains confidential and anonymous as per institutional ethics approvals. Other data referenced from Statistics Canada and other data collection agencies have been cited accordingly to indicate the source.

Code Availability

The codes used for data analysis were custom designs by the research team.

Notes

  1. Community Accounts is a public web database that shares community, regional and provincial data on various social and economic indicators in Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information visit the website at: https://nl.communityaccounts.ca/about_us.asp

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Funding

This research was funded by the On the Move Partnership. The On the Move Partnership: Employment-Related Geographical Mobility in the Canadian Context is a project of the SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health & Safety Research at Memorial University. On the Move is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) through its Partnership Grants funding opportunity (Appl ID 895–2011-1019), InnovateNL, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and numerous university and community partners in Canada and elsewhere. The research is also supported by the SSHRC funded projects “Evaluation of the role and actions of Canadian grantmaking foundations in response to social inequalities and environmental challenges” (PIs JM Fontan and P Elson) and “Examining the Role of Place-Based Collective Endowments in the Canadian Periphery” (PI Dr. Ryan Gibson).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

    Brady Reid

  2. School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook, NL, Canada

    Leanna Butters

  3. Environmental Policy Institute, School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook, NL, Canada

    Kelly Vodden

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  1. Brady Reid
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Correspondence to Brady Reid.

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Reid, B., Butters, L. & Vodden, K. Employment-Related Geographic Mobility (E-RGM), Place Attachment, and Philanthropy: Interconnections and Implications for Rural Community Well-Being in Newfoundland and Labrador. Int. Journal of Com. WB 5, 431–453 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-021-00139-1

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