Accountable, authorized or authentic? What do ‘faith representatives’ offer urban governance?

Abstract

Non-elected faith representatives are increasingly involved in public policy decisionmaking. Yet, little is understood about who they represent and on what basis. Drawing on political theory and primary research data, this article examines what, in democratic terms, is going on when a faith leader sits on a local strategic partnership, a service advisory body, or a neighbourhood board. It shows that, despite very real limitations, faith representatives complement traditional electoral representation by bringing new and ‘authentic’ voices and expertise. ‘Representative claims’ are legitimized in part through faith leaders' involvement in dense (and often marginalized) community networks, but also through their very ‘untaintedness’ in relation to traditional electoral processes.

Notes

*The interviews were conducted as part of four research projects: ‘Faith, hope and clarity: developing a model of faith group involvement in civil renewal’ funded by the Home Office (Lowndes and Chapman, 2005); ‘Faith and the voluntary sector in urban governance: distinctive yet similar?’ funded by De Montfort University (Chapman, 2009); ‘Faith based social action: literature review and interview findings’ funded by the Faith Based Regeneration Network (Dinham et al., 2008) and ‘Faith representation in urban governance’ funded by De Montfort University (2009). The authors wish to thank all those who gave up their time and shared their insights and experiences as part of this research.