Why It Is So Difficult to Form Effective Community Coalitions
- 1 September 2004
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in City & Community
- Vol. 4 (3), 255-275
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6040.2005.00116.x
Abstract
Reviews of large‐scale community coalition evaluations suggest that most have not been successful either in involving a broad array of institutions or in meeting their outcome goals. Informed by the literature and by insights from fieldwork, a social‐structural theoretical explanation is offered for this lack of success. To summarize: coalition structures and the concept of community are loosely defined; local structures attempt to cope with problems that have regional, state, national, and international roots; ethnic, class, and racial divisions lead to cooptation; the narrative of past failed interventions creates current problems; organizations with different sizes and institutional affiliations have problems in working together; and the presence of many organizations leads to confused decision‐making processes. In addition, drug and alcohol prevention program funding is dwarfed by the funds of the alcohol and illegal drug industries. Recognizing these issues in advance and focusing interventions can help to alleviate the effects of these structural problems.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- Are Virtual Communities True Communities? Examining the Environments and Elements of CommunityCity & Community, 2002
- Fighting back against substance abuse: Are community coalitions winning?American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2002
- The future of international coalitions: How useful? How manageable?The Washington Quarterly, 2002
- Studying the Outcomes of Community‐Based CoalitionsAmerican Journal of Community Psychology, 2001
- Building Collaborative Capacity in Community Coalitions: A Review and Integrative FrameworkAmerican Journal of Community Psychology, 2001
- On Coalitions and the Transformation of Power Relations: Collaborative Betterment and Collaborative EmpowermentAmerican Journal of Community Psychology, 2001
- Mapping Residents' Perceptions of Neighborhood Boundaries: A Methodological NoteAmerican Journal of Community Psychology, 2001
- Uneasy Alliance: Conservative Catholics and the Christian RightSociology of Religion, 2001
- Survey Estimates of Drug-Use Trends in Urban Communities: General Principles and Cautionary ExamplesSubstance Use & Misuse, 2000
- Building Community Capacity to Prevent Violence Through Coalitions and PartnershipsJournal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 1995