Public value governance meets social commons: community anchor organisations as catalysts for public service reform and social change?

ABSTRACT

Scottish public service reform is one example of an emerging international vision for state-convened public value governance. Scottish Government focus on community empowerment has legitimised discussions of community-led approaches and offers cautious policy support for community anchor organisations. In this context, community studies scholars and community sector continue to reflect critically on complex relations between state and community, with some exploring a social commons as a distinctive aspiration for democratic governance. In this paper, our participatory research with six community anchor exemplars and wider stakeholders provides empirical material to support discussion, interpretation and analysis at ‘the frontier’ of these visions of governance. We consider the potential for anchors to offer collaborative leadership to facilitate cross-sector partnership and participation and agonistic leadership to provide countervailing, constructive challenge to the state. We conclude by advancing a research agenda to explore further community sector leadership at times of increasing social and ecological crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Community anchor organisations
• public value governance
• community sector and community-led
• social commons
• collaborative and agonistic leadership
• participatory research

Acknowledgments

Many, many thanks for the support and inputs across the research process from the community anchor exemplars, advisory group, other consultees, What Works Scotland colleagues, anonymous peer reviewers and journal editor.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Not all community-controlled housing associations aspire to be community anchors; it is not clear if all community developments trusts seek the role or might, for instance, seek shared arrangements.

2. From: Development Trust Association Scotland; Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations; Scottish Community Alliance; and, Scottish Government Regeneration Team.

3. With one organisation, two members of staff were interviewed. With another, there was a phone interview without site-visit: here two researchers were already familiar with the organisation and context through other research.

4. Report consultees from: Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities; Development Trust Association Scotland; Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; NHS Grampian; Scottish Community Alliance; Social Entrepreneurs Network Scotland; Scottish Government; and, What Works Scotland.

5. The consultation event involved approximately 10 community-controlled housing associations prior to completing the Consultation Draft. The learning event was at the point of publication of the Full Report and informed development of a Policy and Practice Briefing and developing research agenda.

6. Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations and partners provide training and support for tenants and residents on committees; Development Trust Association Scotland provides wide-ranging supports for development trusts.

7. Interviewee estimated an income of £7 M over 20 years and potential to leverage further investment of twice that value.

8. Henderson and McWilliams (2017) use the term ‘re-working’ to describe this prefigurative role.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC: ES/M003922/1) and the Scottish Government.

Notes on contributors

James Henderson

James Henderson is currently a research associate at Heriot-Watt University’s The Urban Institute. He has been exploring the roles of the community sector through participatory and case-study methodologies as a researcher within the third sector (2001-10) and university sector (since 2011) – most recently with What Works Scotland and Smart Urban Intermediaries at the University of Edinburgh . His publications include, with Christopher McWilliams, ‘The UK community anchor model and its challenges for community sector theory and practice’ in Urban Studies 54 (16).

Oliver Escobar

Oliver Escobar is a senior lecturer in public policy at the University of Edinburgh and academic lead on democratic innovation at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. He also co-leads the projects Smart Urban Intermediaries and Distant Voices. His publications include, co-edited with Stephen Elstub, the Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance, published in 2019 by Edward Elgar.

Philip Revell

Philip Revell is an independent researcher and community activist with long-standing interests in community-led development, renewable energy and climate action. He is a co-founder of Sustaining Dunbar, a community development trust with an explicitly green agenda, and is currently convenor of the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network. His publications include, with Elizabeth Dinnie, ‘Community resilience and narratives of community empowerment in Scotland’ in the Community Development Journal 55 (2).