Democracy can flourish in many different ways. It is presently evolving as fresh demands for and practices of participation fall in with and challenge the representative process. Our work has found that arguments between participation and representation prove sterile when we see how they can work together in processes of “everyday democracy”. Our recommendations here... Find out more
Publications
Mapping Britain’s Unmet Needs
We were asked to look at needs in Britain by The Commission on Unclaimed Assets and give a rough assessment of the most pressing unmet needs of 60 million people – urban and rural, marginalised and empowered, rich and poor. Our aim is not to be comprehensive or definitive –but to illuminate key issues and... Find out more
North East London: a case study of globalisation
This paper was put together for the 2006 Tällberg Forum exploring the impact of globalisation on the people, communities and economies of three north-east London boroughs: Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney. The boroughs of North East London are places where many of the changes driven by globalisation are visible in a stark form. They include... Find out more
Neighbouring in Contemporary Britain
In recent decades increased mobility, longer life expectancy and the breakdown of the extended family have changed the way we live our lives, and the extent to which we are able to be ‘neighbourly’. This think-piece reviews the way people interact with their neighbours (neighbouring) in contemporary Britain and questions whether we still need good... Find out more
What is the role for the community in neighbourhood governance?
This report summarises the main discussion points and recommendations that were generated at a seminar held by the Young Foundation, bassac and CDF in December 2005, to discuss the role for voluntary and community organisations, activists and residents, in new proposals for neighbourhood governance. The purpose of the seminar was to bring together a wide... Find out more
Mapping Value in the Built Urban Environment
The Value Mapping project was commissioned by CABE in late 2005 and was managed by the Young Foundation, drawing on a team with experience of research and practice. The project was commissioned in order to better capture less tangible things that people value from places – specifically new buildings. This would look at aspects of... Find out more
The Baby Boomer Generation and the Birth Cohort of 1945-1954 : a European perspective
Young Foundation Fellow Jim Ogg gave a working paper during the ESRC Social Science Week in March 2006 on the European Baby Boomer Generation: In a recent paper discussing the conceptual and methodological issues of studying baby boomers, the North American sociologist and demographer Duane Alwin argues that “society reflects, at any given time, the... Find out more
Social Silicon Valleys
The world today faces a serious innovation gap. In fields ranging from chronic disease to climate change we badly need more effective models and solutions. This paper examines how social innovation happens in NGOs, the public sector, movements and markets. It looks at the history of great social innovators – from Robert Owen to Wangari... Find out more
Tools and Processes for Neighbourhood Problem-Solving? The place for charters, inquiries and community initiatives in new neighbourhood arrangements
As the agenda for future reforms of English governance at local and neighbourhood level develops, discussions have been underway in policy circles about two related issues; the introduction of “triggers” or “community calls for action”, and the more widespread use of contracts or charters to set out agreed standards of neighbourhood service provision or local... Find out more
Seeing the wood for the trees – The evolving landscape for neighbourhood arrangements
The ideas presented in this discussion paper are in the form of an indicative draft, and there is substantially more thinking to be done. In the coming months the policy community needs to firm up a menu of options which can be pursued within existing frameworks, and to establish what needs to be done to... Find out more