Attempts to clarify empowerment as used in black communities in the United Kingdom, using Liverpool as a case study. Illustrates the ambiguity of the concept and the incomplete success of empowerment initiatives for community development and improvement. (SK)

A survey of 26 human service agencies in an empowerment zone found the following: 73% used interns, few from social work; 57% used empowerment in mission statements (more economic than social agencies); 69% of these wanted community practice interns; and higher-budget agencies were better able to negotiate the empowerment zone system. (Contains 20…

This article briefly describes and analyzes (in a historical perspective) the role of local neighborhood committees as they exist in hundreds of urban neighborhoods in Israel, describes the study procedures and the research findings, and in the final part discusses and analyzes the findings. (CT)

Relationship between neighborhood characteristics and community development corporations (CDCs) was examined in Jackson, Mississippi. CDCs were more likely to be in neighborhoods with significant numbers of disenfranchised groups and disinvestment in the built environment. They act as subcontractors, which limits their power and mirrors structural…

Cross-site observation of Lifting New Voices, a national initiative to involve youth in community development, indicated the following: (1) youth participation has multiple impacts; (2) facilitating factors are youth as leaders, adult allies, and intergenerational bridges; and (3) obstacles include conditioning, withdrawal of disadvantaged…

Discusses a study of burnout among 25 community development practitioners. Indicates that those experiencing more severe forms of burnout were employed in grassroots staff positions. (JOW)

Interviews with 28 community coalitions in the Healthy Communities initiative should that:(1) communities must recognize their interdependence; (2) ownership of community agendas should be shared; (3) coalitions should broaden representation; and (4) sustainability may be enhanced by support infrastructures and a bottom-up perspective. (SK)

Concept mapping of case studies resulted in nine organizational domains for community empowerment: participation, leadership, organizational structures, problem assessment, resource mobilization, critical awareness, linkages, outside agents, and program management. The domains provide a way to define and measure empowerment. (Contains 45…

The arts can play a role in regeneration of areas of economic, social, cultural, and environmental disadvantage. Field study of four arts projects in Scotland identified (1) the need for community consultation and involvement; (2) uses of hard and soft data; (3) strategic use of the arts within overall community regeneration policy; and (4) the…

Case studies of two British and two Danish community-based organizations show that they developed as a result of both top-down government support and bottom-up community activity, and they operate both in and against the state. Recent reductions in government support threatens the future development of the community base of social policy, even…

Fifteen older women involved as volunteers faced several barriers to participation: pain, disability, family obligations, assumptions about age, transportation, and different patterns and pace of life. Structural changes that would enhance older people's contributions to community life were suggested. (SK)

An ethnographic study of Kalhor nomads in Iran showed that the government's top-down approach to development and weak local institutions obscure the impact of technology on women and poor people. Despite rhetoric about participation, these groups are not consulted about their needs, priorities, and interests. (SK)

Research was conducted on a British housing estate where children had opportunities to comment on their neighborhood and develop a voice in local government. Results suggested that barriers to adult participation might be avoided if they are encouraged to participate when young. (SK)

A remote Australian town's initiative to develop an Internet cafe was based on a foundation of community empowerment and capacity building. The project's failure illustrates factors that inhibit community control: overstretched local resources, failure to understand impact on existing social infrastructure and social networks, and lack of…

Despite contrasts between capitalist Hong Kong and socialist Guangzhou, the two cities' community work is similar in terms of superficial emphasis on citizen participation, maintenance of status quo, and consensus orientation. The imminent changeover in Hong Kong's sovereignty will change social welfare services in both cities. (SK)