Communities and Social Action

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book is about the experiences of students in institutions of higher education from 'non-traditional' backgrounds with contributions from the UK, the USA and Australia which reveal that the issues surrounding the inclusion of 'non-traditional' students are broadly similar in different countries.

This book proposes an approach to changing the educational system in order to redress inequalities in society, whilst at the same time acknowledging the potential transformative role of digital technologies.

The first project-based book in the New Dynamics of Ageing series offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective on older people’s role as assets in rural civic society. The authors examine the ways in which rural elders are connected to community, the contributions they make and the groups to which they belong.

Presenting unique and critical reflections on international policy and practice, this book addresses the global dominance of neoliberalism. It examines the extent to which community development practitioners, activists and programmes can challenge, critique, engage with or resist its influence.

This timely book provides an alternative vision of social mobility and a route-map to achieving it. It examines how the term ‘social mobility’ structures what success means and the impact that has on society. It recasts the relationship with employers and covers progress in non-work areas of life.

This is the first empirically-grounded and theorised account of the identity, characteristics and motivation of fundraisers in the UK. Based on original data collected during a 3-year study of over 1,200 fundraisers, the book argues that it is not possible to understand charitable giving without accounting for the role of fundraising.

Focusing on house building and conservation politics in England, Spiers uses his considerable experience and extensive research to demonstrate why the current model doesn’t work, and why there needs to be both planning reform and a more active role for the state, including local government.

Drawing on extensive survey data and written accounts of citizen engagement, this pioneering book charts change and continuity in voluntary activity since 1981. Part of the Third Sector Research Series.

There is a growing recognition of the importance of networking for the vitality and cohesion of community life. Now in its third edition, and substantially updated, this textbook combines practical experience and theory for people working with and for communities.

This book analyses a diverse range of experiences of Co-Creation in neighbourhood settings across the Global North and Global South. It brings together a unique collection of researchers, artists, residents and policymakers, all exploring creative ways to address neighbourhood challenges and effect change towards more socially just cities.

Drawing on Roma community voices and expert research, this book challenges conventional discourses on Romani identity, poverty and exclusion. Through the transformative vehicle of a ‘Social Europe’, it presents new strategies for framing social justice for Romani communities across Europe and provides innovative solutions to these dilemmas.

Using international perspectives and case studies, this book discusses the relationships between community development and populism in the context of today’s widespread crisis of democracy. Exploring the synergies and contradictions between populism and community development, it offers new ways of understanding and responding to populism.