Funding Power And Community Development

The increasing impact of neoliberalism across the globe means that a complex interplay of democratic, economic and managerial rationalities now frame the parameters and practices of community development. This book explores how contemporary politics, and the power relations it reflects and projects, is shaping the field today. This first title in the timely Rethinking Community Development series presents unique and critical reflections on policy and practice in Taiwan, Australia, India, South Africa, Burundi, Germany, the USA, Ireland, Malawi, Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazonia and the UK. It addresses the global dominance of neoliberalism, and the extent to which practitioners, activists and programmes can challenge, critique, engage with or resist its influence. Addressing key dilemmas and challenges being navigated by students, academics, professionals and activists, this is a vital intellectual and practical resource.

This edited collection critically explores the funding arrangements governing contemporary community development and how they shape its theory and practice. International contributions from activists, practitioners and academics consider the evolution of funding in community development and how changes in policy and practice can be understood in relation to the politics of neoliberalism and contemporary efforts to build global democracy from the ‘bottom up’. Thematically, the collection explores matters such as popular democracy, the shifting contours of the state-market relationship, prospects for democratising the state, the feasibility of community autonomy, the effects of managerialism and hybrid modes of funding such as social finance. The collection is thus uniquely positioned to stimulate critical debate on both policy and practice within the broad field of community development.

Employing a broad definition of community development, this book shows how asset building can help increase the capacity of residents to improve their quality of life. It provides students and practitioners with theoretical and practical guidance on how to mobilize community capital (physical, human, social, financial, environmental, political, and cultural) to effect positive change. Authors Gary Paul Green and Anna Haines show that development controlled by community-based organizations provides a better match between these assets and the needs of the communities.

An invaluable directory of funding opportunities for communities to use for local programs and projects.

With the topic of community high on the public agenda, this timely guide provides an introduction to community development, its origins and some of the current trends and challenges. The book also explores how community development can be applied in different practice domains to achieve a range of policy objectives. Accessibly written, it will be essential for students studying a degree or taking a module in the area as well as those already involved in community development and community organising.

The Community Development Reader is the first comprehensive reader in the past thirty years that brings together practice, theory and critique concerning communities as sites of social change. With chapters written by some of the leading scholars and practitioners in the field, the book presents a diverse set of perspectives on community development. These selections inform the reader about established and emerging community development institutions and practices as well as the main debates in the field. The second edition is significantly updated and expanded to include a section on globalization as well as new chapters on the foreclosure crisis, and emerging forms of community .