Professor John Diamond (University’s Centre for Local Policy Studies) looks at two important developments in the Coalition’s plans which are (arguably) more important than who owns a national newspaper: ” The headlines for the past 10 days have been dominated by the phone hacking scandal and the fall out from that. But, really whilst there […]

‘Community resilience: managing tensions, promoting fairness and developing community trust in the Big Society’. Jayne Francis, MEL, and Harriss Beider, University of Coventry Abstract The large-scale regeneration programmes established by the previous government are being either substantially scaled back or entirely withdrawn; programmes and interventions d […]

‘THE POWER OF PULL’: MAXIMISING SERENDIPITY THROUGH QUALITY SOCIAL NETWORKS (FOR INNOVATION) John Diamond, CLPS -Edge Hill University, and Lorraine Johnston, Newcastle University Abstract Using Schumpeter’s notion of ‘the power of pull’, the article will argue that maximising serendipity is key for creating quality social networks. Such chance interactions b […]

Where next for ethnic diversity policy-making in the context of the ‘Big Society’? Reflections from a cross-national comparative study of Manchester and Copenhagen Jessica Smith, Policy Researcher, Centre for Local Economic Strategies Abstract In the months since the election of the Conservative-Liberal coalition government, little has been said about what t […]

Big Society – Small Beer? Rural Places and the drive towards and enhanced localism Ivan Annibal, Rose Regeneration Abstract The central premise of the Big Society is that communities will be keen to step up and take on the challenge of delivering public services in their own communities themselves. There is a powerful line of […]