Responsible participation and housing: restoring democratic theory to the scene

Tensions between individual liberty and collective social justice characterise many advanced liberal societies. These tensions are reflected in the challenges posed for representative democracy both by participatory democratic practices and by the current emphasis on (so-called) responsible participation. Based on the example of ‘community’ housing associations in Scotland, this paper explores these tensions. It is argued that the critique of responsibility may have been over-stated – that, in particular, ‘community’ housing associations offer the basis for relatively more inclusive and effective processes of decision-making than council housing, which relies on the traditional processes and institutions of representative local government for its legitimacy

Tenant Participation in Housing Associations: Faifley Case Study

No abstract available

Befriending and community care: <i>‘Nobody today has any time, have they?’</i>

BEFRIENDING IS A VALUED form of support for people in receipt of community care services, and offers something which is qualitatively different from the support which paid staff can give. This paper, based on recent research, explores the perspectives of users and reports on some of the problems facing befriending organisations.</jats:p