A report examined the existing state of community development, and assessed what steps might be necessary to raise its profile and effectiveness.
Source: The Community Development Challenge, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
Researchers examined approaches to evaluation in community regeneration in Scotland. It was essential that future evaluations should establish clear central or common guidance and detailed advice on identifying baseline, input, and outcome indicators (and crucially, agreed proxies to be used where there were gaps in information) at or before the start of the programme.
Source: Ronald McQuaid, Malcolm Greig and Colin Lindsay, Approaches to Evaluation in Community Regeneration, Communities Scotland (0131 313 0044)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
Researchers examined the experience of community engagement activity across Scotland, in order to establish a baseline for measuring progress by the Scottish Executive against targets for community engagement.
Source: ODS Consulting, Evaluation of the Effective Engagement of Communities in Regeneration: Final baseline report, Communities Scotland (0131 313 0044)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
A study questioned the idea that community participation built stronger networks between people who lived in the same neighbourhood. It examined whether community dynamics and relationships could in fact make good governance hard to achieve. Tenants' associations, school boards, and community projects were being dominated by the same small group of well-connected members.
Source: Paul Skidmore, Kirsten Bound and Hannah Lownsbrough, Community Participation: Who Benefits?, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined the role of community development in the integration of refugees and the promotion of cohesive communities.
Source: Alison Navarro, Refugee Integration and Cohesive Communities: Community development in practice, Community Development Foundation (020 7226 5375)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Nov
Researchers examined how community regeneration professionals negotiated the conflicting interests and attitudes of local residents and institutional actors (such as management and local politicians), while dealing with problems raised by greater 'managerialism' - short-term targets, competition for funding, and bureaucratic burdens.
Source: Paul Hoggett and Chris Miller, Negotiating Ethical Dilemmas in Contested Communities, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report | ESRC press release
Date: 2006-Oct
An article said that policymakers and community development organizations had a responsibility to find ways of ensuring that the knowledge, skills, and techniques of community development were better understood and supported.
Source: Paul Henderson and Andrew Glen, 'From recognition to support: community development workers in the United Kingdom', Community Development Journal, Volume 41 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jul
A report said that housing associations were among the most successful and financially strong organizations working in the 'third sector'. Their work went beyond building and managing homes to providing community and neighbourhood services.
Source: Richard Evans and Richard Meegan, Up Your Street: Housing associations and the neighbourhoods and communities agenda, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Report | Housing Corporation press release
Date: 2006-May
A think-tank report said that that the government should reinvigorate forms of community governance by promoting a new ?neighbourhood council? scheme, and by introducing participatory budgeting pathfinders ? where members of the local community were directly involved with how money was spent.
Source: Ed Cox, Empowering Neighbourhoods: Going beyond the double devolution deal, Local Government Information Unit (020 7554 2800)
Links: LGIU press release
Date: 2006-May
A report examined the main messages from research findings in order to discover what central government policy could do to make the neighbourhoods agenda work on the ground. All local strategic partnerships should be required to have a community development strategy that mapped support for community groups, showed how community engagement would be supported, and set clear targets.
Source: Marilyn Taylor and Mandy Wilson, The Importance of the Neighbourhood: Tackling the implementation gap, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-May
An article examined the phenomenon of community development finance, and assessed its proposed role in community regeneration and in relation to the community and voluntary sector.
Source: Arthur Affleck and Mary Mellor, 'Community development finance: a neo-market solution to social exclusion?', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 35 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Apr
An article said that the central problem for community development appeared to be that, although it had secured a more prominent place within contemporary social policies, it was in danger of losing its ability to address the expressed needs of local communities.
Source: Keith Popple, 'Community development in the 21st century: a case of conditional development', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 36 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
A report made recommendations on the management of community buildings.
Source: Community Buildings Maximising Assets, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000) and National Federation of Community Organisations
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Feb
A new guide was published on the design, planning, and implementation of capacity-building activities and programmes.
Source: Steve Skinner, Strengthening Communities: A guide to capacity building for communities and the public sector, Community Development Foundation (020 7226 5375)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Feb
The government published a guide for local authorities, their partners and other interested bodies on enhancing the capacity of citizens to participate more effectively in local decision-making.
Source: Rhys Andrews, Richard Cowell, James Downe, Steve Martin and Dave Turner, Promoting Effective Citizenship and Community Empowerment: A guide for local authorities on enhancing capacity for public participation, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Guide
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined the extent to which anti-social behaviour inhibited the development of cohesive and inclusive community life, and the specific issues which arose for different ethnic/faith communities.
Source: David Prior, Kathryn Farrow, Basia Spalek and Marian Barnes, Anti-social Behaviour and Civil Renewal, Active Citizenship Centre/Home Office (duncan.prime@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk)
Date: 2006-Jan
An article said that health services organizations could more fully fulfil their central health-enhancing purposes through community development efforts.
Source: Beaufort Longest, 'The community development potential of large health services organizations', Community Development Journal, Volume 41 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
An article examined the nature of local 'bridge-building' – activities intended to increase interpersonal contacts between diverse ethnic, faith, and nationality groups.
Source: Margaret Harris and Patricia Young, 'Developing community and social cohesion through grassroots bridge-building: an exploration', Policy & Politics, Volume 37 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
An article said that the ineffectiveness of community participation was often at least partly the result of decisions that were taken within the wider policy-making processes that developed and surrounded public involvement.
Source: Stephen Connelly, 'Looking inside public involvement: how is it made so ineffective and can we change this?', Community Development Journal, Volume 41 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined the potential of applying the 'configurational comparative' approach to questions around community involvement in regeneration, and used empirical material from the national evaluation of the New Deal for Communities programme to explore the institutional context behind variation in community involvement across a range of neighbourhoods.
Source: Rob Macmillan with Fran Marshall, Promoting Community Involvement Through Regeneration: Exploring the configurational comparative approach, Active Citizenship Centre/Home Office (duncan.prime@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk)
Date: 2006-Jan
A report sought to provide a framework for evaluating participatory, deliberative, and co-operative processes, based on the experience of practitioners.
Source: InterAct, Evaluating Participatory, Deliberative and Co-operative Ways of Working, Active Citizenship Centre/Home Office (duncan.prime@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report sought to create more effective participatory practice, through increased understanding of the financial costs and benefits of undertaking specific public participation work.
Source: Richard Wilson, The True Costs of Public Participation, Active Citizenship Centre/Home Office (duncan.prime@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Summary | Literature review
Date: 2006-Jan