Local regeneration initiatives and capacity building: Whose 'capacity' and 'building' for what?

Diamond, John

doi:10.1093/cdj/39.2.177

Cited by 47 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…Other scholars, sceptical about the efficacy of normative regulation alone, argue that institutional reform is required to level the playing field. Diamond (2004) argues that supervisory boards on which local residents form a majority should monitor the performance of public agencies, supported by community facilitators capable of shoring up resistance to overweening managers. Similarly, Erik Hans Klijn and Joop Koppenjan (1999) recommend the appointment of neutral arbiters to maintain a level playing field in debate and arbitrate disputes between network actors.…”

Section: The Challenge Of Network Democratisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Limits of Partnership: An Exit-Action Strategy for Local Democratic Inclusion

Davies

2007

Political Studies

114

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The challenge of enhancing the "democratic anchorage" of partnerships has become a central concern in policy studies. Radical reform proposals designed to level the deliberative playing field include community veto powers and the appointment of neutral arbiters. Welcome as they would be, however, it is questionable whether such reforms would overcome power asymmetries in the partnership arena. A study of the local politics of social inclusion in two UK cities, Dundee and Hull, suggests that managerialism, driven by national governments, is eroding the prospects for partnership democratisation. But more significantly for the reformist agenda, public managers and community activists think in incompatible frames about the role of partnerships and in ways that are not understood by the other party. Non-communication undermines the prospects for an equitable deliberative consensus. Insights from Bourdieu suggest that even in more favourable deliberative environments than those in Dundee and Hull, subtle manifestations of power in culture, discourse and bearing would undermine the potential for a Habermasian consensus between radically unequal actors. In a radical departure from the network governance paradigm, it is therefore argued that empowerment may depend less on enhanced network democracy than on strong independent community organisation capable of acting separately and coercively against governing institutions and elites -an exit-action strategy. These preliminary conclusions point to a substantial research agenda on the politics of the state-civil society nexus.2

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Section: The Challenge Of Network Democratisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Limits of Partnership: An Exit-Action Strategy for Local Democratic Inclusion

Davies

2007

Political Studies

114

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“…In discussing community participation projects, Randell emphasises the role of the community development worker as a moderator ''to sustain participation in the space until the system has become self-organising and self-sustaining' ' (2004, p. 149). Such workers also need to be independent and external to the community-building process (Diamond, 2004). Several studies show that community research in this context must include dialogue and participatory research approaches (Vlaenderen, 2004;Wertsch, 1988).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, they are ''opportunities to redress the balance between different interest-groups, equipping the least disadvantaged to compete more effectively'' (Taylor, 2000a(Taylor, , p. 1022). Diamond's (2004) analysis of two community projects in the United Kingdom suggests that although ''capacity building'', ''partnership'', and ''regeneration'' suggest a new language, ''they are steeped in old practices. Changing structures does not, of itself, alter the power differences inherent in local neighbourhoods where community groups are cast as 'dependent ''' (2004, p. 177).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated community development through dialogue, capacity-building and partnership in an Australian town

Pawar

Torres

2011

Journal of Comparative Social Welfare

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This article discusses the process of mobilising the four sectors -community, government, non-government organisations and business -towards developing dialogical relationships, building community capacity and creating opportunities to meet the felt needs of youth in a rural town in Australia. Drawing on Paulo Freire's thoughts, the qualitative data, field education records, community workers actions and the authors' reflections, it critically analyses several key factors that facilitated and hindered participation of a range of agencies and people in initiating and maintaining community projects. The article argues that, although challenging, the four sectors can develop partnerships and work together, and similar integrated communitybased projects can be replicated elsewhere.

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“…The transference of decision-making power is problematic if priorities and targets are set nationally, if only a limited number of citizens ever become active, and if those that are active have limited access to the information required to make policy decisions. For example, it is contended that the apparent commitment to the empowerment of local communities in area-based policy sits at odds with New Labour's centralizing tendencies (Diamond, 2004;Foley & Martin, 2000;Marinetto, 2003). Moreover, the assumption that public involvement in policy making is wholly positive has been questioned.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the Impact of Community Engagement on Policy Making in the UK: A Local Case Study

Purdam

Crisp

2009

Journal of Civil Society

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Innovative attempts to involve citizens in policy making have been one of the defining features of the New Labour government in the UK. In this article, we examine the nature and impact of community engagement mechanisms within the flagship regeneration programme-the New Deal for Communities. Through interviews with practitioners, analysis of survey data and participant observation of governance boards we examine the methods and impact of initiatives to engage residents in policy making. While it is apparent that innovative strategies have been put in place to engage and empower communities in local policy making, this has not always been matched by the development of tools for measuring the impact of involvement or for scrutinizing the policy development and decision-making process. More people may have got involved, but little is known about precisely what effect their involvement has had upon policies at the local level. Consultation, or just publicizing what is happening and community involvement in decisionmaking are often conflated, and there is only a limited attempt to delineate and quantify the impact of each. It is also evident that information gathered as a result of some community engagement initiatives is not easily linked to policy development and is not always utilized in the policy process. For community involvement to become a meaningful and sustainable aspect of local policy making, an appropriate infrastructure needs to be developed to ensure that the decision-making process is transparent and accountable, and that the input from citizens genuinely informs decision-making.

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Local regeneration initiatives and capacity building: Whose 'capacity' and 'building' for what?

Cited by 47 publications

References 0 publications

The Limits of Partnership: An Exit-Action Strategy for Local Democratic Inclusion

The Limits of Partnership: An Exit-Action Strategy for Local Democratic Inclusion

Integrated community development through dialogue, capacity-building and partnership in an Australian town

Measuring the Impact of Community Engagement on Policy Making in the UK: A Local Case Study

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