Rod Dacombe

Filling in the Gaps: European Governance, the Open Method of Coordination and the European Commission

The article addresses the way in which EU policy‐making operates, explains the relevance of ‘lifelong learning’ for the European Commission and analyses the mechanisms by which the Commission has advanced policy‐making in education and training since the Lisbon Summit. The article reviews in particular the alleged lack of effectiveness of the Open Method of Coordination in education and, second, the notion that the EU advances ‘slowly and persistently’ in its acquisition of competences in this area.

Can we argue against it? Performance management and state funding of voluntary organizations in the UK

This article examines the implications of recent changes in public management practice for the ways in which voluntary sector performance is understood and measured, focusing in particular on voluntary organizations which are funded by the public sector to provide services. Drawing on a review of existing literature and empirical work, and an analysis of government policy, the article raises a number of problems resulting from the changing policy environment for voluntary organizations working in partnership with the state.

Sports clubs and civic inclusion: rethinking the poverty of association

Most current scholarship agrees that low levels of civic participation in deprived neighbourhoods can, in part, be explained by the deficiencies of associational life in these areas. Significantly, most writers highlight the importance of neighbourhood effects – the characteristics of local areas – on participation in civic activity. Theoretically, this has been explained by the suggestion that deprived neighbourhoods lack the social structure to organize a vibrant associational life, suffering from high unemployment, an unstable population, poor community facilities and low levels of generalized trust. However, the role of sports clubs is neglected in much of the existing literature in this area. The position of sports clubs as a community resource, providing a hub for social networks, generating information and promoting trust, has long been acknowledged and yet this is rarely included in discussions about the dynamics of civic association in deprived areas. Instead, crude generalizations about the effects of poverty on social infrastructure, and the ability of people on low incomes to engage in group activity, abound in much of the existing research. This paper examines the relationship between theory and recent policy developments, raising three areas of uncertainty that need to be addressed if a coherent and effective programme for sports policy is to be implemented.

Developing Immersive Simulations: The Potential of Theater in Teaching and Learning in Political Studies

Innovative teachers of political science have frequently moved beyond the confines of conventional teaching formats to better engage students with the demands of the discipline. In particular, the use of simulations has been proposed as an alternative to passive, lecture-based techniques, and a growing literature examines their value and efficacy. This article contributes to the literature by describing the development of a simulation that draws on the principles of immersive theater in an attempt to maximize participation while encouraging students to think critically about political concepts and ideas.

Who leads?: Councillor‐officer relations in local government overview and scrutiny committees in England and Wales

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of recent local government reform for political leadership in local authorities. In particular, it investigates the role played by local government officers in shaping and directing the work of politicians serving on overview and scrutiny committees. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on data from five case studies of local councils in England and Wales, the paper suggests that recent reform has done little to clarify decision making and leadership in local government. Findings – The paper suggests that local councillors need to define their roles under the new system in order to reflect the changing requirements of their work. Originality/value – The paper investigates the impact of the introduction of overview and scrutiny on the relations between councillors and local government officers. Research on leadership in local government is well established, but this literature needs updating in the light of recent reforms. The paper suggests a complex pattern of leadership in local democratic processes, and suggests that more work needs to be done to ensure that local councillors adapt to their new roles.

Systematic Reviews in Political Science: What Can the Approach Contribute to Political Research?:

Recent years have seen the growing use of systematic literature reviews within the social sciences. Despite some reservations over the adoption of an approach originally popularised within clinical and health sciences, the literature in the area has contributed some clear benefits to accounts of existing research. It is surprising, therefore, that political scientists have tended to ignore, or at best marginalise, reviews of this kind. This article outlines a number of features of systematic reviews which might be suitable for the kinds of questions political scientists ask of their data. Throughout, it highlights both the value and the potential complications of the approach, raising a number of questions which should be considered if systematic reviews are to be adopted more widely.

The Problem with Civic Participation

This opening chapter introduces the main themes of the book. Beginning with an account of the arguments against widespread democratic participation made by minimal democrats, the chapter introduces the contrasting claims of participatory democracy. It then outlines one of the principal challenges faced by participatory democracy—the relationship between low levels of socio-economic status and the likelihood of participation, before explaining the structure of the book.

Responding to Democracy’s Critics

This final chapter carries out three tasks. First, it asks how far the empirical focus taken in the research has been useful in underpinning an analysis of democratic participation in Blackbird Leys, spelling out the ways in which such a starting point can make a valuable contribution to existing work. Second, it draws on the results from the fieldwork to ask what the case study of Blackbird Leys reveals about the ways in which deprivation really affects participation. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it considers the theoretical implications of the findings, drawing on the fieldwork to consider how proponents of participatory democracy might respond to some of the criticisms they face, and in particular, to the challenges of minimal democracy.

Community Structure, Participation and Social Organisation

This chapter, and the next, extend the discussion of democratic life in Blackbird Leys provided in the previous chapters, reaching towards an exploration of the mechanisms through which the level and form of civic participation in deprived areas is determined, and relating this to democratic life on the estate. The chapter, focuses on the social infrastructure of Blackbird Leys. In order to reach beyond conventional accounts of the relationship between participation and poverty that exist in much of the literature, it uses this analysis to examine the relevance of social disorganisation theory to explanations of civic participation in the area. This approach differs from much of the established literature because it considers not only the structural factors which are important in shaping participation but also the ways in which they take effect.

Participation in Real-World Settings

This chapter provides an introduction to the fieldwork in Blackbird Leys, discussing the area in the context of its location within the city of Oxford, and tracing its development from its foundation in the 1950s to the present day. This established, it provide an account of the social structure of the area, focusing on the various indicators of deprivation available in order to provide a detailed picture of the extent, and form, of poverty suffered by the residents of Blackbird Leys. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the area as a suitable case for the analysis of democracy and civic participation.