A guidebook sought to help grassroots communities analyze power with a view to achieving social change. Making change happen meant understanding both the power that prevented change from happening – protecting an unjust status quo – and the power within individuals and communities to create change.
Source: Raji Hunjan and Jethro Pettit, Power: A Practical Guide for Facilitating Social Change, Carnegie UK Trust
Date: 2011-Dec
A report examined the activities and achievements of 12 pilot partnerships created between social housing providers and community-based groups.
Source: Chris Wadhams, Mary Carter, and John Coburn, Together for Communities: Experiences from partnerships, transforming neighbourhoods, Housing Associations Charitable Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the skills needed to manage sustainable and cohesive communities. In ethnically divided places such as Northern Ireland, the notion of collaboration was largely conceptual.
Source: Brendan Murtagh and Geraint Ellis, 'Skills, conflict and spatial planning in Northern Ireland', Planning Theory & Practice, Volume 12 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A paper examined three case studies (in England, France, and the Netherlands) in order to assess how different approaches to neighbourhood working had facilitated and constrained civic participation and action. Citizen participation could not always replace local government: sometimes it required its support and stimulation.
Source: Catherine Durose, Jonathan France, Liz Richardson, and Ruth Lupton, Towards the Big Society : What role for neighbourhood working? Evidence from a comparative European study, CASEpaper 154, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
A literature review examined the role of the community and social governance in community-led regeneration. There was confusion and ambiguity with regard to the terminology used in describing approaches to community-led regeneration: the literature reflected differences in interpretation of the terms community 'engagement', 'participation', and 'empowerment'. Structural and socio-economic barriers existed that had the potential to distance individuals and communities from involvement in community-led regeneration: these barriers were not uniform but were multi-faceted and fluid.
Source: Patricia Campbell, Community-Led Regeneration: A Review of Literature, Scottish Government
Links: Literature review | Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
A report summarized the latest research and debate concerning the opportunity for community organizations to buy or manage assets for local benefit.
Source: Julian Dobson, Community Assets: Emerging learning, challenges and questions, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
An article examined the implications of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) Programme (launched by the previous Labour government in 1998) for community-level decision making, a theme central to the coalition government's 'Big Society'. The NDC experience pointed to problems including: intra-community strife, lack of engagement, and incorrect perceptions by community representatives about the scale of local problems.
Source: Paul Lawless, 'Big Society and community: lessons from the 1998- 2011 New Deal for Communities Programme in England', People, Place & Policy, Volume 5 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2011-Jul
A think-tank report examined the state of civic life and described what in practical terms was required to get more people involved. It set out a range of measures aimed at removing barriers to community participation; supporting better civic involvement; and encouraging companies to redesign their corporate social responsibility strategies.
Source: Richard Wilson and Matt Leach with Oli Henman, Henry Tam, and Jouna Ukkonen, Civic Limits: How much more involved can people get?, ResPublica
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined the full range of assets tangible and intangible – that were available in every place, and developed an alternative approach to using them to build sustainable communities.
Source: Tara O'Leary, Ingrid Burkett, and Kate Braithwaite, Appreciating Assets, Carnegie UK Trust/International Association for Community Development
Links: Report | Carnegie press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined the changing fortunes of the community development movement from the 1950s to the present.
Source: Gary Craig, Marjorie Mayo, Keith Popple, Mae Shaw, and Marilyn Taylor (eds.), The Community Development Reader: History, themes and issues, Policy Press
Links: Summary | Durham University press release
Date: 2011-May
A new book examined community cohesion policy and paradigms. It said that the underpinning elements of social cohesion were an essential prerequisite for better relationships.
Source: Peter Ratcliffe and Ines Newman (eds.), Promoting Social Cohesion: Implications for policy and evaluation, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-May
A new textbook provided an introduction to community development, its origins, and some of the latest trends and challenges. It looked at how community development could be applied in different practice domains to achieve a range of policy objectives.
Source: Alison Gilchrist and Marilyn Taylor, The Short Guide to Community Development, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Apr
A study examined the contributions that neighbourhood working had made to more active citizenship and the improvement of public services and neighbourhoods, in a northern city (Bradford) with an ethnically diverse population. It also examined how the coalition government's policy on localism and the 'Big Society' might affect neighbourhood working.
Source: Liz Richardson, Working in Neighbourhoods in Bradford, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2011-Apr
An article said that the legitimacy of community-based organizations was 'fragile and open to challenge', and was weak according to the norms of legitimacy derived from the representative democratic tradition or the standpoint of modern deliberative democracy.
Source: Steve Connelly, 'Constructing legitimacy in the new community governance', Urban Studies, Volume 48 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined the community empowerment programme in England between 2001 and 2008, and identified lessons for the future. The original ambition of the programme – to empower communities to become equal partners in the task of neighbourhood renewal – had been undermined by inconsistent central government policy and opposition from local authorities. But the programme did pioneer and promote new participative methods that were increasingly commonplace. Future empowerment policies needed to be made available to the most deprived communities.
Source: John Houghton and Toby Blume, 'Poverty, power and policy dilemmas: lessons from the community empowerment programme in England', Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, Volume 4 Number 3
Date: 2011-Mar
A new book examined policy and research approaches to 'community', including new concepts such as community cohesion, social capital, and community capacity-building.
Source: Peter Somerville, Understanding Community: Politics, policy and practice, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
The government began consultations on the 'community right to challenge' and 'community right to buy' (both proposed in the Localism Bill). Under the community right to buy, local groups would have a legal right to nominate any vital community asset – including local shops, pubs, libraries and leisure centres – to be assessed for recording on a 'most wanted' list by the local council: if the owner wanted to sell it, the local community would be given time to prepare an offer before it went on the open market. The community right to challenge would give community or voluntary sector groups, as well as parish councils and council employees, new powers to challenge and take over a local service.
Source: Proposals to Introduce a Community Right to Buy: Assets of Community Value – Consultation paper, Department for Communities and Local Government | Proposals to Introduce a Community Right to Challenge: Consultation paper, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Consultation document (1) | Consultation document (2) | DCLG press release
Date: 2011-Feb
A paper examined the economic consequences – and potential benefits – of local community development programmes.
Source: Martin Knapp, Annette Bauer, Margaret Perkins, and Tom Snell, Building Community Capacity: Making an Economic Case, Discussion Paper 2772, Personal Social Services Research Unit
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined a 'social transformation initiative' involving community groups in a highly segregated area of west Belfast (Northern Ireland).
Source: Colin Knox, 'Peace building in Northern Ireland: a role for civil society', Social Policy and Society, Volume 10 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A briefing paper examined policies aimed at preventing violent extremism and building resilient communities; the links between integration, shared values, and resilience; and the potential role of the 'Big Society' agenda in bringing about change.
Source: Ewan King and Sanah Sheikh, Resilience and Integration: A Way Forward, Office of Public Management
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan