Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when commu... more Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when communities comprise rich and diverse membership. Although the UK policy has advanced substantially towards the development of volunteering within the third sector, the uptake of volunteers from the South Asian community has been low. Additionally, research into the experience and meanings that this ethnic group attributes to volunteering has been exceptionally scarce. Informed by a community psychology perspective, this qualitative study conducted nine semi-structured interviews with British based South Asians to explore their personal experiences and motivations regarding volunteering for their community of belonging. Results from thematic analysis revealed that volunteering generates positive benefits in terms of individual wellbeing. Additionally, volunteering for South Asians is intrinsically tied to religious and cultural motivations. However, the findings also revealed that South Asians who volunteer often experience social injustice and marginalisation. On the other hand, these very obstacles sometimes become drivers for volunteering for their community of belonging. These findings offer valuable insights and recommendations for community organisations and governmental bodies to better promote volunteering for ethnic minorities. We suggest the adoption of cultural and religious sensitivity, along with strategies to remove barriers in access of opportunities and support for volunteering.
In this chapter we continue to explore policy developments in relation to students' experiences o... more In this chapter we continue to explore policy developments in relation to students' experiences of higher education. The need for diversification of programmes of learning and curricular development and delivery, in the face of a more diverse student body is considered. Policy developments in supporting and assessing the quality of teaching in higher education, including the Teaching Excellence Framework are outlined. The emphasis on assessment of the student experience via the National Student Survey and associated policies for student volunteering and 'employability' are seen as symptoms of the increasing marketisation of public services and of higher education n particular, which place students as choice-making consumers, a position sometimes inimical to good community engagement. Keywords Curriculum development • Higher education academy • Quality assessment • Teaching excellence framework • Marketisation • NSS • Employability • Student volunteering The previous chapter looked at how Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning policies have both diversified and enlarged the student population. Along with the increase in student numbers-the massification of Higher Education, drawing students, over time, from a wider range of communities-came an increase and diversification in the programmes CHAPTER 4 Marketisation, Teaching, Learning and the Student Experience
Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when commu... more Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when communities comprise rich and diverse membership. Although the UK policy has advanced substantially towards the development of volunteering within the third sector, the uptake of volunteers from the South Asian community has been low. Additionally, research into the experience and meanings that this ethnic group attributes to volunteering has been exceptionally scarce. Informed by a community psychology perspective, this qualitative study conducted nine semi-structured interviews with British based South Asians to explore their personal experiences and motivations regarding volunteering for their community of belonging. Results from thematic analysis revealed that volunteering generates positive benefits in terms of individual wellbeing. Additionally, volunteering for South Asians is intrinsically tied to religious and cultural motivations. However, the findings also revealed that South Asians who volunteer often experience social injustice and marginalisation. On the other hand, these very obstacles sometimes become drivers for volunteering for their community of belonging. These findings offer valuable insights and recommendations for community organisations and governmental bodies to better promote volunteering for ethnic minorities. We suggest the adoption of cultural and religious sensitivity, along with strategies to remove barriers in access of opportunities and support for volunteering.
Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections Rethinking University-Community Policy Connect... more Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections will publish works by scholars, practitioners, and 'prac-ademics' across a range of countries to explore substantive policy or management issues in the bringing together of higher education institutions and community-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and businesses. Such partnerships afford unique opportunities to transform practice, develop innovation, incubate entrepreneurship, strengthen communities, and transform lives. Yet such potential is often not realized due to bureaucratic, cultural, or legal barriers erected between higher education institutions and the wider community. The global experience is common, though the precise mechanisms that prevent university-community collaboration or that enable successful and sustainable partnership vary within and across countries. Books in the series will facilitate dialogue across country experiences, help identify cross-cutting best practices, and to enhance the theory of university-community relations.
Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections will publish works by scholars, practitioners,... more Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections will publish works by scholars, practitioners, and 'prac-ademics' across a range of countries to explore substantive policy or management issues in the bringing together of higher education institutions and community-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and businesses. Such partnerships afford unique opportunities to transform practice, develop innovation, incubate entrepreneurship, strengthen communities, and transform lives. Yet such potential is often not realized due to bureaucratic, cultural, or legal barriers erected between higher education institutions and the wider community. The global experience is common, though the precise mechanisms that prevent university-community collaboration or that enable successful and sustainable partnership vary within and across countries. Books in the series will facilitate dialogue across country experiences, help identify cross-cutting best practices, and to enhance the theory of university-community relations.
A workshop discussing different approaches to community work that are 'creative' relating... more A workshop discussing different approaches to community work that are 'creative' relating to photography, art, filming and poetry.
In this chapter we consider ways in which networks of universities have evolved over time, in rel... more In this chapter we consider ways in which networks of universities have evolved over time, in relation to community engagement. Different ways of conceptualising community engagement are discussed, ranging from the physical location of universities to engagement through research and taking in the relevance of arts and culture, extension studies, the university presses and service. We argue that university–community engagement is not new but that it has evolved over time as universities adapt to changing social and political circumstances differently across disciplines. Different university clusters are considered and ways in which they have differentiated each other are explored, in order to better understand their shared and distinct features, and move towards a typology of the university facing community engagement.
The way that work is structured and produced creates dilemmas for integrating work with the rest ... more The way that work is structured and produced creates dilemmas for integrating work with the rest of life-family, friends, leisure, community activism, creativity, personal development and personal interests. The way that salaried or paid work is structured creates the kinds of communities we live in. At the same time there are large numbers of people excluded from even the possibility of decent, paid work in formal organisations, confined to worklessness and poverty. The dominant response to this is skills and productivity deficit (explanation) and skills training and development (solution). I will suggest a different way of approaching community, work and family tensions: an approach that enables communities to identify need and create work to meet these needs. This approach is known variously as part of the solidarity economy or the participatory civic economy. I will present some examples of civic participatory work developments that have the potential for community building and incorporating flexibility and family support.
Valuing People (2001), the English policy framework for learning disability (with similar framewo... more Valuing People (2001), the English policy framework for learning disability (with similar frameworks in the other UK countries,) is a bold policy initiative that accelerates the transformation from institution based services towards a person centred approach that ...
Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when commu... more Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when communities comprise rich and diverse membership. Although the UK policy has advanced substantially towards the development of volunteering within the third sector, the uptake of volunteers from the South Asian community has been low. Additionally, research into the experience and meanings that this ethnic group attributes to volunteering has been exceptionally scarce. Informed by a community psychology perspective, this qualitative study conducted nine semi-structured interviews with British based South Asians to explore their personal experiences and motivations regarding volunteering for their community of belonging. Results from thematic analysis revealed that volunteering generates positive benefits in terms of individual wellbeing. Additionally, volunteering for South Asians is intrinsically tied to religious and cultural motivations. However, the findings also revealed that South Asians who volunteer often experience social injustice and marginalisation. On the other hand, these very obstacles sometimes become drivers for volunteering for their community of belonging. These findings offer valuable insights and recommendations for community organisations and governmental bodies to better promote volunteering for ethnic minorities. We suggest the adoption of cultural and religious sensitivity, along with strategies to remove barriers in access of opportunities and support for volunteering.
In this chapter we continue to explore policy developments in relation to students' experiences o... more In this chapter we continue to explore policy developments in relation to students' experiences of higher education. The need for diversification of programmes of learning and curricular development and delivery, in the face of a more diverse student body is considered. Policy developments in supporting and assessing the quality of teaching in higher education, including the Teaching Excellence Framework are outlined. The emphasis on assessment of the student experience via the National Student Survey and associated policies for student volunteering and 'employability' are seen as symptoms of the increasing marketisation of public services and of higher education n particular, which place students as choice-making consumers, a position sometimes inimical to good community engagement. Keywords Curriculum development • Higher education academy • Quality assessment • Teaching excellence framework • Marketisation • NSS • Employability • Student volunteering The previous chapter looked at how Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning policies have both diversified and enlarged the student population. Along with the increase in student numbers-the massification of Higher Education, drawing students, over time, from a wider range of communities-came an increase and diversification in the programmes CHAPTER 4 Marketisation, Teaching, Learning and the Student Experience
Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when commu... more Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community wellbeing, particularly when communities comprise rich and diverse membership. Although the UK policy has advanced substantially towards the development of volunteering within the third sector, the uptake of volunteers from the South Asian community has been low. Additionally, research into the experience and meanings that this ethnic group attributes to volunteering has been exceptionally scarce. Informed by a community psychology perspective, this qualitative study conducted nine semi-structured interviews with British based South Asians to explore their personal experiences and motivations regarding volunteering for their community of belonging. Results from thematic analysis revealed that volunteering generates positive benefits in terms of individual wellbeing. Additionally, volunteering for South Asians is intrinsically tied to religious and cultural motivations. However, the findings also revealed that South Asians who volunteer often experience social injustice and marginalisation. On the other hand, these very obstacles sometimes become drivers for volunteering for their community of belonging. These findings offer valuable insights and recommendations for community organisations and governmental bodies to better promote volunteering for ethnic minorities. We suggest the adoption of cultural and religious sensitivity, along with strategies to remove barriers in access of opportunities and support for volunteering.
Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections Rethinking University-Community Policy Connect... more Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections will publish works by scholars, practitioners, and 'prac-ademics' across a range of countries to explore substantive policy or management issues in the bringing together of higher education institutions and community-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and businesses. Such partnerships afford unique opportunities to transform practice, develop innovation, incubate entrepreneurship, strengthen communities, and transform lives. Yet such potential is often not realized due to bureaucratic, cultural, or legal barriers erected between higher education institutions and the wider community. The global experience is common, though the precise mechanisms that prevent university-community collaboration or that enable successful and sustainable partnership vary within and across countries. Books in the series will facilitate dialogue across country experiences, help identify cross-cutting best practices, and to enhance the theory of university-community relations.
Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections will publish works by scholars, practitioners,... more Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections will publish works by scholars, practitioners, and 'prac-ademics' across a range of countries to explore substantive policy or management issues in the bringing together of higher education institutions and community-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and businesses. Such partnerships afford unique opportunities to transform practice, develop innovation, incubate entrepreneurship, strengthen communities, and transform lives. Yet such potential is often not realized due to bureaucratic, cultural, or legal barriers erected between higher education institutions and the wider community. The global experience is common, though the precise mechanisms that prevent university-community collaboration or that enable successful and sustainable partnership vary within and across countries. Books in the series will facilitate dialogue across country experiences, help identify cross-cutting best practices, and to enhance the theory of university-community relations.
A workshop discussing different approaches to community work that are 'creative' relating... more A workshop discussing different approaches to community work that are 'creative' relating to photography, art, filming and poetry.
In this chapter we consider ways in which networks of universities have evolved over time, in rel... more In this chapter we consider ways in which networks of universities have evolved over time, in relation to community engagement. Different ways of conceptualising community engagement are discussed, ranging from the physical location of universities to engagement through research and taking in the relevance of arts and culture, extension studies, the university presses and service. We argue that university–community engagement is not new but that it has evolved over time as universities adapt to changing social and political circumstances differently across disciplines. Different university clusters are considered and ways in which they have differentiated each other are explored, in order to better understand their shared and distinct features, and move towards a typology of the university facing community engagement.
The way that work is structured and produced creates dilemmas for integrating work with the rest ... more The way that work is structured and produced creates dilemmas for integrating work with the rest of life-family, friends, leisure, community activism, creativity, personal development and personal interests. The way that salaried or paid work is structured creates the kinds of communities we live in. At the same time there are large numbers of people excluded from even the possibility of decent, paid work in formal organisations, confined to worklessness and poverty. The dominant response to this is skills and productivity deficit (explanation) and skills training and development (solution). I will suggest a different way of approaching community, work and family tensions: an approach that enables communities to identify need and create work to meet these needs. This approach is known variously as part of the solidarity economy or the participatory civic economy. I will present some examples of civic participatory work developments that have the potential for community building and incorporating flexibility and family support.
Valuing People (2001), the English policy framework for learning disability (with similar framewo... more Valuing People (2001), the English policy framework for learning disability (with similar frameworks in the other UK countries,) is a bold policy initiative that accelerates the transformation from institution based services towards a person centred approach that ...
Nine years ago we formed Steady State Manchester. Since then we have produced many articles, pam... more Nine years ago we formed Steady State Manchester. Since then we have produced many articles, pamphlets, reports and blog posts, exploring the post-growth alternative, practically and conceptually. Nine years on, degrowth has become more widely known about and discussed. It has yet to achieve hegemony but those who make reasoned arguments for the feasibility of continued economic expansion on a finite planet are increasingly embattled.
The body of work that we have produced has, as its main focus, the implications of a post-growth approach to economy and society at the meso-scale, that of the city region, or better, the bio or eco-region. What would it mean to adopt that approach and how feasible would it be, given that we are still inextricably linked with a global economic super-system? There is no simple answer and we have explored a number of dimensions to this question. Sometimes our work has extended beyond that meso-level, to more fundamental questions: Can growth be decoupled from environmental destruction? What is the role of money and could reforming it be part of the needed policy-mix? What social safety net is required in a shrinking economy and what policy instruments might help equitably constrain the expanding material economy?
Our small group has become established as a serious voice in our city region and we have made many international contacts. Our work has been syndicated by other websites and media resources. Some of it has been presented at conferences and events nationally and internationally and some has appeared in book chapters, journal articles and publications of other campaigning organisations. However, it remains scattered. We therefore thought that it would be worth bringing together a selection of our work, as a resource for the wider movements in degrowth, post-growth, climate activism, ecological economics, political economy, community psychology, urban studies, social and public policy, and political activism more generally.
The book is divided into twelve sections. Each has an introduction to its chapters, contextualising and, where necessary, bringing the topic up to date. The book finishes with a postscript, rhetorically asking if there is a Viable Future. It also considers our impact as a group, questions of scale and issues that got insufficient attention in the previous selections.
Nine years ago we formed Steady State Manchester. Since then we have produced many articles, pam... more Nine years ago we formed Steady State Manchester. Since then we have produced many articles, pamphlets, reports and blog posts, exploring the post-growth alternative, practically and conceptually. Nine years on, degrowth has become more widely known about and discussed. It has yet to achieve hegemony but those who make reasoned arguments for the feasibility of continued economic expansion on a finite planet are increasingly embattled.
The body of work that we have produced has, as its main focus, the implications of a post-growth approach to economy and society at the meso-scale, that of the city region, or better, the bio or eco-region. What would it mean to adopt that approach and how feasible would it be, given that we are still inextricably linked with a global economic super-system? There is no simple answer and we have explored a number of dimensions to this question. Sometimes our work has extended beyond that meso-level, to more fundamental questions: Can growth be decoupled from environmental destruction? What is the role of money and could reforming it be part of the needed policy-mix? What social safety net is required in a shrinking economy and what policy instruments might help equitably constrain the expanding material economy?
Our small group has become established as a serious voice in our city region and we have made many international contacts. Our work has been syndicated by other websites and media resources. Some of it has been presented at conferences and events nationally and internationally and some has appeared in book chapters, journal articles and publications of other campaigning organisations. However, it remains scattered. We therefore thought that it would be worth bringing together a selection of our work, as a resource for the wider movements in degrowth, post-growth, climate activism, ecological economics, political economy, community psychology, urban studies, social and public policy, and political activism more generally.
The book is divided into twelve sections. Each has an introduction to its chapters, contextualising and, where necessary, bringing the topic up to date. The book finishes with a postscript, rhetorically asking if there is a Viable Future. It also considers our impact as a group, questions of scale and issues that got insufficient attention in the previous selections.
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Papers by carolyn kagan
The body of work that we have produced has, as its main focus, the implications of a post-growth approach to economy and society at the meso-scale, that of the city region, or better, the bio or eco-region. What would it mean to adopt that approach and how feasible would it be, given that we are still inextricably linked with a global economic super-system? There is no simple answer and we have explored a number of dimensions to this question. Sometimes our work has extended beyond that meso-level, to more fundamental questions: Can growth be decoupled from environmental destruction? What is the role of money and could reforming it be part of the needed policy-mix? What social safety net is required in a shrinking economy and what policy instruments might help equitably constrain the expanding material economy?
Our small group has become established as a serious voice in our city region and we have made many international contacts. Our work has been syndicated by other websites and media resources. Some of it has been presented at conferences and events nationally and internationally and some has appeared in book chapters, journal articles and publications of other campaigning organisations. However, it remains scattered. We therefore thought that it would be worth bringing together a selection of our work, as a resource for the wider movements in degrowth, post-growth, climate activism, ecological economics, political economy, community psychology, urban studies, social and public policy, and political activism more generally.
The book is divided into twelve sections. Each has an introduction to its chapters, contextualising and, where necessary, bringing the topic up to date. The book finishes with a postscript, rhetorically asking if there is a Viable Future. It also considers our impact as a group, questions of scale and issues that got insufficient attention in the previous selections.
The body of work that we have produced has, as its main focus, the implications of a post-growth approach to economy and society at the meso-scale, that of the city region, or better, the bio or eco-region. What would it mean to adopt that approach and how feasible would it be, given that we are still inextricably linked with a global economic super-system? There is no simple answer and we have explored a number of dimensions to this question. Sometimes our work has extended beyond that meso-level, to more fundamental questions: Can growth be decoupled from environmental destruction? What is the role of money and could reforming it be part of the needed policy-mix? What social safety net is required in a shrinking economy and what policy instruments might help equitably constrain the expanding material economy?
Our small group has become established as a serious voice in our city region and we have made many international contacts. Our work has been syndicated by other websites and media resources. Some of it has been presented at conferences and events nationally and internationally and some has appeared in book chapters, journal articles and publications of other campaigning organisations. However, it remains scattered. We therefore thought that it would be worth bringing together a selection of our work, as a resource for the wider movements in degrowth, post-growth, climate activism, ecological economics, political economy, community psychology, urban studies, social and public policy, and political activism more generally.
The book is divided into twelve sections. Each has an introduction to its chapters, contextualising and, where necessary, bringing the topic up to date. The book finishes with a postscript, rhetorically asking if there is a Viable Future. It also considers our impact as a group, questions of scale and issues that got insufficient attention in the previous selections.