Partnership and Participation: Power in Process

Abstract

There has been an increasing emphasis on community engagement in the design and delivery of Government policies aimed at improving the conditions in Britain's most disadvantaged areas. Expecting communities to participate in decision-making and to work in partnership with statutory and private agencies has raised important issues regarding accountability: to whom and for what. This article considers these questions from the community perspective, examining some of the complexities of community representation and power differentials that need to be addressed in order to make a reality of the rhetoric. Evidence suggests that 'deprived' communities experience attempts to involve them as tokenistic and ineffective. Representative roles are taken up by voluntary sector workers or the most articulate community members. Public servants and other professionals find it difficult to adjust their procedures and to make sense of the range of views being presented. The result is often a maze of contested accountabilities, frustration and cynicism on all sides. Community development is offered as a means of building the capacity of communities and other partners to work together to tackle social exclusion and improve public services.