Who is for community participation? Who is community participation for? Exploring the well-being potential for involvement in regeneration

Abstract

Commencing from the identification of an emerging discourse in government circles expounding the benefits of community participation, this article examines critically the claims that community participation enhances involvement in decision making, builds social capital, reduces social exclusion, improves public service delivery and enhances local enterprise and economic activity. In particular, the impact of community participation upon the communities that are the focus of regeneration is explored through a review of findings from a range of studies. Finally, alternative strategies are proposed which build from the basis of existing activities in communities targeted for regeneration which are argued to have more potential for promoting well-being. Such strategies involve harnessing the potential of existing local entrepreneurial endeavour and social capital networks and resourcing their development and growth in new ways. This draws from research by the author on social enterprise in different localities in Europe and on the potential for the mutualisation of the informal economy.

Keywords:

• community participation
• social enterprise

Notes

1. Although it has a tendency to stigmatise, the term ‘deprived neighbourhoods’ is used here on the basis that it had a clear definition in government documents on the basis of official indices of deprivation. It described those neighbourhoods/wards/super output areas that are the 10% most deprived in England and Wales, of which 82% were concentrated in 88 local authority districts.