Reviews discourses of citizenship in community development work: inactive citizens, the stucturalist critique of the welfare state, marketization (citizen as consumer), and democratic renewal through active citizenship. Suggests that community workers can serve as key agents in revitalizing the connections among community work, citizenship, and…

The social inclusion emphasis of recent British policy has renewed community development efforts for capacity building and civic participation. Funding remains precarious and the independence of the community development sector be continuously asserted. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

Inauthentic participation may be limited to providing inputs, giving the community no power. However, even weak participation in the form of utilization, contributions, enlistment, cooperation, and consultation can have benefits. (Author/SK)

A study of participatory evaluation by learning teams at 10 rural sites of the Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities program showed the importance of separating indicators of participation from project impacts. Evaluation of three categories was recommended: citizen participation (process indicators), impact of participation on individuals and…

Examines the current fashion for tenant participation in British housing policy and draws on recent Scottish experience to speculate about the prospects for tenant participation in the future. Explores the meaning of tenant participation, the nature of the change needed to bring it about, and the prospects for such change. (JOW)

The authors describe their experiences working with a community organization to get their landlords to make needed repairs on their rental units. (JOW)

The author presents an account of participatory research and argues for its relevance and development in Europe. He includes two illustrations showing that the knowledge that people themselves produce opposes abstract theories about them. The author concludes that the two main types of participatory research are those of professional intervention…

Discusses whether the politics of individual practitioners actually influence the causes they adopt and therefore the outcomes; describes research that reinforces the argument that no such congruency exists; and argues that barriers to radical community work are such that its major impact is to strengthen pluralism while making minimal…

Do the actions and agency of citizens in civil society affect the public sphere? Whether these people and their activities contribute a discourse of the public or only a marginal realm is critical to understanding the relationship among community development, civil society, and social change. (Author/JOW)

This description of the Canadian government's assessment of the social impact of hydrocarbon exploration in the Arctic demonstrates barriers to citizen involvement: ad hoc nature, travel and child care problems, and lack of enough volunteers. Recommendations for community participation in impact assessment are given. (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…

Argues that community development is an appropriate arena for using participatory research techniques, since community development depends strongly on citizen involvement. Features a case study of use of the participatory research technique in a project aimed at attacking rural poverty in Nigeria. (CH)

The Sheffield (England) City Council used an advisory group approach to solicit citizen participation in community planning. Two important lessons were: ensuring that all target groups are represented and providing training and information to prepare citizen representatives for their consulting role. (SK)

Mobilization of citizen participation in grassroots organizations can be adversely affected when grassroots leaders perceive a lack of support. Periodic organizational diagnosis can lead to more equitable division of responsibilities and recruitment of more leaders and skilled participants. (SK)

The Australian state of Victoria has adopted a privatization approach to human services that is destroying the infrastructure of community services. Without a dynamic community services core, it is difficult for social citizenship to flourish. (SK)