WHAT WORKS REGARDING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN GOV UK AREAS BASED INITIATIVE

As part of its work on civic renewal, the Home Office is concerned with both the extent and effectiveness in all aspects of civic life, and requires a focused systematic review of research evidence of community involvement in area-based initiatives (ABIs). Measures designed to alleviate poverty, ill health and poor housing in the UK have a long history, but ABIs emerged from the belief that bottom-up approaches to concentrations of poverty are better than top-down approaches. ABIs are multi-faceted schemes that reflect the views and aspirations of the people who live in targeted areas (usually sub-town or city) and are thus different from earlier schemes which were largely driven by the views of outsiders.

This review aims to test these assumptions in a systematic and rigorous manner through the collection and analysis of a wide range of studies that address the connections between community involvement and the effectiveness of ABIs. We will consult a broad range of databases using a carefully selected set of key search terms, with the aim of harvesting a range of academic and policy documents which assess the effectiveness of community involvement. In our final report to the Home Office we hope to make a significant evidence-based contribution to policymaking on troubled areas in the UK.