An article examined the community leadership role of community foundations. Strategies and approaches were differentiated rather than shared, challenging the understanding of community foundations as a single model and questioning their potential to lead on localism policy.
Source: Tobias Jung, Jenny Harrow, and Susan Phillips, 'Developing a better understanding of community foundations in the UK's localisms', Policy & Politics, Volume 41 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
A paper examined the role of voluntary community leaders in the support and transformation of communities. These community leaders had large networks of connexions that helped to facilitate their success: but most of them had few connexions with their neighbours, and reported less community cohesion than they would have liked. This suggested separating 'bridging social capital' into 'community bridging capital' (informal connexions with neighbours and friends) and 'governance bridging capital', (connexions with individuals in formal governance structures such as local authorities, neighbourhood forums, community development trusts, local businesses, local councillors and MPs, and other agencies or community organizations).
Source: Beck Collins and David Boyd, Extending the Idea of Social Capital: Applications for community leaders, Working Paper 19, Centre for Environment and Society Research (Birmingham City University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jul
A new book examined different ways in which research could contribute to community development, active citizenship, and social justice by promoting capacity building and 'research mindedness' in the third sector. Examples included research with refugee and asylum-seeker organizations and groups, research with faith-based organizations, and research exploring the relevance of community arts, media, and sports.
Source: Marjorie Mayo, Zoraida Mendiwelso-Bendek, and Carol Packham (eds), Community Research for Community Development, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jun
A new book provided an overview of the concepts of engagement and participation as they related to community development and empowering service users.
Source: Billie Oliver and Bob Pitt, Engaging Communities and Service Users: Context, themes and methods, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jun
A new book examined community practice, under which service providers and local residents collaborated to meet local needs and improve service effectiveness. It explored its potential for reforming community development, building new kinds of neighbourhood partnership, measuring outcomes objectively, and combining the best innovations of the previous three decades into a new synthesis.
Source: Gabriel Chanan and Colin Miller, Rethinking Community Practice: Developing transformative neighbourhoods, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Feb