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Citizen engagement and voluntary action

Citizen engagement and voluntary action are at the heart of civil society.  Our work in this area aims to explore why and how people engage in collective action.

Read our publications or events for full details of our work. For more information on our work on citizen engagement and voluntary action contact Véronique Jochum.

Projects

Pathways through participation: what creates and sustains active citizenship?

This research project is designed to explore how and why people get involved and stay involved in different forms of participation in their communities. It aims to increase knowledge of people's pathways into participation and of the factors that shape this over time.

It is a joint project in partnership with the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) and Involve, and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund's research programme. 

 
Publications

Understanding participation: a literature review

Published: December 2009

This review by the Pathways through Participation project looks at the historical and current drivers of participation, the activities and actors of participation and different theoretical approaches that contribute to a better understanding of participation. It closes with an emerging ‘participation framework’ that will be further developed and refined in the subsequent stages of the project.

Civil renewal and active citizenship: a guide to the debateCivil renewal and active citizenship thumbnail

Published: June 2005

This report reviews current thinking on civil society, civil renewal and active citizenship. - It highlights the value of voluntary action within civil society and the significant contribution of the voluntary and community sector to civil renewal and citizen engagement.  

A broader parish: working together, improving rural communitiesA Broader Parish thumbnail

Published: November 2006

This policy and research report looks at community governance and explores the relationships between parish councils, voluntary and community organisations, and individuals in rural areas. - 

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Events

Changing governance structures and processes

9 October 2008, NCVO

This seminar was jointly organised by NCVO and the ESRC NGPA research programme at the Centre for Civil Society (LSE). It looked at how civil society organisations in the UK and other countries are experiencing the shift from government to governance.

  • Download the seminar report (PDF 335KB)
  • Download Marilyn Taylor and Joanna Howard's presentation (PPT 67KB) 
  • Download Heather Blakey's presentation (PPT 143KB)
  • Download Karin Gavelin's presentation (PPT 886KB)

Engaging citizens seminar series

June 2006 - October 2007

NCVO organised a series of 6 seminars on civil renewal and active citizenship with the Economic and Social Research Council. - The seminars provided an opportunity to share insights into how active citizens contribute to an inclusive and cohesive society. - 

  1. Faith-based voluntary action
  2. ICT, social capital and voluntary action
  3. Individual pathways in participation
  4. Localism and local governance
  5. From local to global
  6. Human rights, a tool for change

To mark the end of the seminar series a report was written to highlight the key messages, findings and recommendations of each seminar in the series. The report also summarises the key issues for policy, practice and research across the series.

1. Faith-based voluntary action

15 June 2006

This seminar looked at how faith shapes voluntary action and influences the type of voluntary activity people choose to take part in. - It explored the challenges and issues of the current policy agenda for faith-based organisations, statutory agencies and government bodies. 

2. ICT, social capital and voluntary action

05 October 2006

This seminar explored different views on whether ICT is strengthening or diminishing social capital. - It looked specifically at virtual voluntary action and examined how this may differ from traditional forms of face-to-face voluntary action, in terms of social capital. 

3. Individual pathways in participation

24 January 2007 - 

This seminar looked at people's pathways to and from participation. - It explored whether involvement in community activities as a volunteer, member or beneficiary can lead to involvement in decision-making structures and processes within and outside the VCS. - 

4. Localism and local governance

20 March 2007 

The seminar on local government looked at the emphasis on community involvement in governance. - It asked whether policy is effectively contributing to positive changes and explored the impact on the design and delivery of public services.  It also considered the impact of community governance on social capital and community cohesion.  

5. From local to global

28 June 2007 - 

This seminar explored how the link between local and global is developing in social movements, campaigns and giving.  It also examined how participation of individuals across national boundaries is strengthening the idea of global citizenship. 

6. Human rights, a tool for change

31 October 2007 - 

This seminar looked at how human rights based approaches can contribute to improving service delivery and empowering people to participate fully in society. 

 

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