Synopses & Reviews
A response to myriad crises of public policy, this important and original book contributes to a growing debate, arguing that traditional technocratic ways of designing policy are inadequate to cope with increasingly complex challenges. Drawing on twelve compelling international contributions from practitioners, policy makers, activists, and actively engaged academics, Rethinking Public Policy-Making uses ideas of power to explore how genuine democratic involvement in the policy process from outside the political elite can shape society for the better. An indispensable resource for researchers and students of public policy, public administration, sociology, and politics, this book offers profound insight into why and how to generate change in policy processes, arguing for increased experimentation in policy design.
Review
"[A]n excellent overview of how the concept of community has been interpreted and (ab)used by politicians and policymakers...The book takes familiar concepts and methods, weaving them together to build a new framework [and] throws up a number of challenging questions and some illuminating insights...[it] is unreservedly recommended for policy-makers and anyone working in or with communities. It will also be of immense value to students, researchers and academics seeking a comprehensive synthesis."--Alison Gilchrist,
Community Development Journal"[G]rounded, authoritative and timely...a crucial contribution to an important policy debate."--John Houghton, Environmental Planning
Review
Reviews of the first edition:
"[A]n excellent overview of how the concept of community has been interpreted and (ab)used by politicians and policymakers...The book takes familiar concepts and methods, weaving them together to build a new framework [and] throws up a number of challenging questions and some illuminating insights...[it] is unreservedly recommended for policy-makers and anyone working in or with communities. It will also be of immense value to students, researchers and academics seeking a comprehensive synthesis" -- Alison Gilchrist, Community Development Journal
"[G]rounded, authoritative and timely...a crucial contribution to an important policy debate" -- John Houghton, Environmental Planning
Synopsis
The idea of community involvement and empowerment has become central to politics in recent years. Governments, keen to reduce public spending and increase civic involvement, believe active communities are essential for tackling a range of social, economic and political challenges, such as crime, sustainable development and the provision of care.
Public Policy in the Community examines the way that community and the ideas associated with it - civil society, social capital, mutuality, networks - have been understood and applied from the 1960s to the present day. Marilyn Taylor examines the issues involved in putting the community at the heart of policy making, and considers the political and social implications of such a practice. Drawing on a wide range of relevant examples from around the world, the book considers the success of existing approaches and the prospects for further developments. Thoroughly updated to reflect advances in research and practice, the new edition of this important text gives a state-of-the-art assessment of the place of community in public policy.
Synopsis
"Community" continues to attract the attention of policy makers and scholars. Taking account of changes since the publication of the first edition, this new edition explores the challenges of empowering communities and assesses the lessons for policy and practice of community-based approaches to social disadvantage and exclusion.
About the Author
Catherine Durose is a senior lecturer in the School of Government and Society at the University of Birmingham. Liz Richardson is a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Manchester. With Stephen Greasley, they are coeditors of Changing Local Governance, Changing Citizens, also published by Policy Press.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Changing Fortunes of Community
Community in Policy and Practice
Ideas of Community
Contradictions of Community
Prescribing Community to the Poor
Power and Empowerment
Power in the Policy Process
Experiencing Empowerment
Reclaiming Community
Reclaiming Power
The Challenge for Communities
The Institutional Challenge
Community Empowerment: Myth or Reality?