Public participation and policy: unpacking connections in one British LA21

YesWithin western cultures, the term `public participation¿ has strong positive connotations, and is associated with the promotion of democracy. The contention of this paper is that these invocations of democracy - although not entirely inaccurate - obscure the varied and tangible effects of public participation on wider policy processes. Drawing on Sharp and Connelly 2001, this paper argues that participation should not be analysed in terms of the type of democracy it invokes, but rather in terms of the extent and nature of its influence on the policy process. In particular, the policy process is examined for conflict between participants over (1) the extent of participation, (2) the nature of participation and (3) the influence of the participation, as well as (4) the outcomes to which it leads. This approach to the analysis of participation is demonstrated through a study of one element of participation in an authority¿s Local Agenda 21 process. The paper concludes that participation is inherently political and practitioners need to act strategically to manage participation in support of progressive agendas

It's about Power Stupid! - The interpretive study of environmental governance.

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Reflections on Foucauldian Discource Analysis in Planning and Environmental Research

YesDiscourse analysis is becoming an increasingly common approach in planning and environmental policy research. This paper asserts that the generic treatment of discourse analysis obscures distinct approaches where `discourses¿ can combine different elements of text, systems of thought, and action. Textually-oriented approaches have been more prevalent over the 1990s but this paper explores a different approach, grounded in the theory of Michel Foucault, which broadens discourse to embrace social action. Comparing and contrasting two studies which have utilised this approach, the paper suggests that there is considerable room for variation concerning the subjects of study, the institutional scale of analyses, the methods of investigation, and process of analysis. Nevertheless, this paper identifies certain core elements of a Foucauldian discourse analytic approach. The paper concludes that this emerging approach to discourse analysis promises considerable insights if applied more widely in planning and environmental research

Local policy for the global environment: In search of a new perspective

British local government is placing a new emphasis on local action for the global environment. In the literature addressing these developments limited attention has been paid to the contested nature of sustainability, or to the local context in which initiatives arise. A cultural politics approach provides a means through which these shortcomings can be overcome (Hajer, 1996). Its discourse basis enables a local authority to be seen as a forum in which technocentric and ecocentric interpretations of sustainability compete with each other, as well as contesting established `non-sustainable¿ approaches. The Foucauldian view of power which underlies cultural politics requires that these contests are viewed in the context of an authority¿s history and traditions. As such, a cultural politics approach could form the basis of a new broader agenda for Local Agenda 21 research

Exploring the community waste sector: Are sustainable development and social capital useful concepts for project-level research?

The concept of sustainable development implies that social, economic and environmental objectives should be delivered together, and that they can be achieved through enhanced community participation. The concept of social capital indicates how these objectives interrelate, implying that community involvement enhances trust and reciprocity, thus promoting better governance and greater prosperity. This paper draws on a survey of Community Waste Projects to explore how these concepts can inform investigations of community projects. It argues that the concepts provide useful guides to research and debate, but highlights the resource requirements of empirically confirming the claims of the social capital perspective

Knowledge and Know-how: the Role of Self-Defence in the Prevention of Violence Against Women

This study, commissioned by the European Parliament Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs upon request by the FEMM Committee, examined research on the effectiveness of self-defence and its place in policies at EU and Member State levels. It concludes that there is a growing evidence base that feminist self-defence can be effective in preventing violence. Whilst references to self-defence are present in the EU and Council of Europe policy documents, they are not substantial and yet to be developed into a coherent approach. Self-defence should be considered a promising practice and be better promoted and supported. More space should be made for it in policy, financing and research

Domestic homicide review (DHR) : case analysis

Crime statistics for England and Wales (Flatley, 2016) show that 332 women and 78 men were killed by their partners/ex-partners between March 2012 and March 2015 – the time period within which the domestic violence homicides analysed in this report took place. In the same time period, 35 women and 46 men were killed by a son/daughter or other family member (see appendix one for details). Since the implementation of Section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) in 2011, Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) have been a statutory requirement. Local areas are expected to undertake a multi-agency review after a domestic homicide to identify lessons learned and help prevent future incidents. In order to ensure that DHRs effectively draw out relevant learning, the Home Office has established a Quality Assurance process. A Panel of experts from across the statutory and voluntary sectors reviews each report and provides feedback to local areas. Since April 2011, over 300 reviews have been examined by the Quality Assurance Panel. There has been increasing interest in understanding the national picture on domestic homicide from the information contained within these individual reviews. In November 2013, the Home Office published a Lessons Learned (Home Office, 2013) document drawing out common themes from the first 54 cases reviewed by the Panel. However, many partners expressed the view that, although useful, the themes presented within the Home Office document provided limited insights (HMIC, 2014). Neville and Sanders-McDonagh, (2014: 56) describe the document as an ‘inadequate response to the complex findings that have emerged from DHR reports across the country’. In recognition of this, the charity Standing Together Against Domestic Violence (STADV) commissioned the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University to undertake an analysis of 32 Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) chaired by its associates (see appendix two for details of the STADV DHR Process). The aim of the analysis was to identify and explore in more depth the themes emerging from the STADV sample, thereby contributing learning to the national picture

The community waste sector and waste services in the UK: current state and future prospects

YesTheory predicts that the voluntary or community sector will contribute a range of services that are not delivered by the state or private sectors. This paper examines the changing contributions of the community waste sector in the UK to reflect upon these claims. A rosy picture of the community waste sector is presented from research on the sector in 2002, with a growing number of organisations carrying out a range of services, drawing on multiple and diverse sources of funding. More recent evidence, and information drawn from outside the sector, however, suggests that regulation, competition, and changes to funding regimes are putting the sector under considerable pressure, such that it is likely to change, and that some parts of it will contract. In terms of the claims from theory, the paper finds evidence that the community sector can and has been innovative in the services it provides and the way that it provides them, though similar innovations may emerge from the private and public sectors. The sparse evidence on participation and recycling rates in kerbside and civic amenity sites are equivocal on whether the sector provides enhanced communication as theory would predict. Overall, the paper highlights the difficulty in achieving direct comparisons between the waste sectors without specific focused research for this purpose. It concludes that the challenge for European, national and local government is to influence the necessarily constructed waste markets in a way which will enhance rather than discourage service providers to innovate in the waste material collected, and to communicate effectively with the public whom they serve. Such policies promise to encourage the effective delivery of sustainable waste services from all three - public, private and community - sectors

Finding the costs of freedom : how women and children rebuild their lives after domestic violence

Whilst crisis interventions for women and children experiencing domestic violence are well developed, little is known about the process of rebuilding lives, including what longer term support needs might be. Women’s organisations have lacked the resources to follow up service users. The Research Grants Programme run by the Big Lottery provided an exciting opportunity to do just that. Working in partnership with the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University, Solace Women’s Aid successfully applied for funds that enabled us to track 100 women and their children over a three year period (2011-2014). Women were recruited into the study after exiting a range of domestic violence services provided by Solace and, through four waves of interviews, we followed their onward journeys. The overarching aims of the project were to identify: • What factors support long term settlement, how do they interrelate and at what points in the process are they particularly important? • When do obstacles to resettlement occur and how can they be overcome? • How can community resources best be developed and integrated for long term support of survivor resettlement and independence? Through a multi-layered research methodology we explored how women and children are able to grow their ‘space for action’ (Kelly, 2003) after physically removing themselves from the ‘coercive control’ (Stark, 2007) exerted by the perpetrator over their everyday lives. We also measured post-separation abuse in Wave Three, experience of services and the legal system, changes in housing situation and how their informal networks facilitated or interfered with efforts to create safety and freedom

Water Demand Management in England and Wales: constructions of the domestic water-user

YesMeasures to manage demand include implicit and explicit messages about domestic water-users which have important potential impacts on their perceptions and practices. Drawing on recent literature, this paper identifies three different ¿dimensions¿ along which demand management measures¿ constructions of the water-user may vary: these relate to whether the water user is passive or active, whether they are motivated by individual or common needs, and whether they perceive water as a right or a commodity. Demand management measures currently used in England and Wales are then discussed and analysed. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of communications associated with demand management, and in particular, notes the need to consider the cumulative impact of messages and their interactions with people¿s existing understandings