Social capital, governance and local communities

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Social capital, governance and local communities

• SAI 34th Annual Conference
• University of Limerick
• 10-13 May 2007
• Eileen.Humphreys_at_ul.ie

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Research on social capital

• Study (2003 fieldwork) .
• Test / develop means of measurement
• Types and variations in social capital .. urban
  neighbourhoods
• Civic perspective spatial contested
• The stocks of social trust, norms and networks
  which people can draw on to solve common
  problems (Putnam, 1995)

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Policy context interest

• Policy interest .
• EU, World Bank, OECD
• NESF 2003, TF on Active Citizenship 2006 NDP
  2007-2013
• Themes .
• Social capital, prosperity . Good governance
• Social capital in public policy
• Direct (NGOs volunteering) ..
• Indirect (conditions)
• Socio-economic / structural factors
• Planning . neighbourhoods
• Institutional arrangements (decentralised
  structures )
• Institutional .. community development .
  partnerships
• Targeting disadvantage, coordination, fast
  tracking funding..
• Local governance Cohesion structures county
  level

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Study neighbourhoods 2002 (CSO)
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Conclusions

• Bridging linking SC weak
• Policy-induced structures may help but
• Well-connected get better connected ..
• Grass-roots remain unconnected .. Not embedded
  ..
• Attitudes of trust ..
• Some very distant disadvantaged areas
• More affluent areas .. structures

• More of the same wont work
• Cohesion more confusion but good for some
• Identity profile of LDSIP (partnership)
  structures
• Focus on conditions
• Facilities / services in communities
• Political opportunity structure (decentralised)

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Implications

• Evidence of institutional void in local
  governance
• Revisit notions of participative representative
  democracy
• Dependency on small elite group overused and ..
• Tinkering v. addressing issue .. weak
  democratic local structures
• Delivering into local communities (LA / local
  agency competence)
• Planning function
• Housing

• How to achieve a wider range of participation?
• Changing structures embed in wider social
  networks
• What incentives for participation ..
• What changes for local communities and when?
• What issues?
• Structures culture of participation
• Information expertise
• The 1 solution (Demos, UK TF Active
  Citizenship)??