Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of tables and figures
- Notes on the authors and contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Introduction: Why is redesign of public policy needed?
- Chapter One Possibilities for policy design
- Chapter Two Conventional policy design
- Chapter Three Co-productive policy design
- Section One Challenges and change within conventional policy design
- Section Two Vision in co-productive policy design
- Section Three Grammar in co-productive policy design
- Chapter Four Debating co-productive policy design
- Chapter Five Governance for co-productive policy designs
- Epilogue Co-producing research
- References
- Index
Generating community conversations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2022
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of tables and figures
- Notes on the authors and contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Introduction: Why is redesign of public policy needed?
- Chapter One Possibilities for policy design
- Chapter Two Conventional policy design
- Chapter Three Co-productive policy design
- Section One Challenges and change within conventional policy design
- Section Two Vision in co-productive policy design
- Section Three Grammar in co-productive policy design
- Chapter Four Debating co-productive policy design
- Chapter Five Governance for co-productive policy designs
- Epilogue Co-producing research
- References
- Index
Summary
This contribution is set against the backdrop of the summer 2011 riots in England in two Northern cities, Manchester and Salford. Challenging a policy discourse that centred on the criminality of the participants, the authors trace efforts to shift the parameters of the policy conversation towards a less deficit-orientated view of citizens.
The wide-reaching impact of the riots created demands for the policy agenda to be informed by the views and priorities of a number of different groups, not only politicians, policy makers, the media and those in public institutions, such as the police, but also by voluntary and community groups, residents and rioters themselves. Through a series of community conversations bringing these different groups together, broader ‘wicked’ cross-cutting social concerns which situate the rioting came to light: not only mistrust and anger at the police, but also poverty and inequality and a wider sense of social exclusion. From these conversations, a different and more complex policy agenda emerged. The example of the response to the riots shows the potential of an event to disrupt policy making as usual.
The August 2011 riots in Manchester and Salford saw street violence that was directed against the police, as well as the looting and destruction of shops within the two cities. Manchester appeared to be more targeted at disrupting the city centre and looting from shops, while Salford was widely seen as a demonstration of anger against the police.
These events brought to the surface deep-seated and complex issues in our society that demanded in-depth analysis to understand why people riot. However, in the backdrop of burning buildings and severe violence, the immediate government response to the riots was that they were the demonstration of ‘criminality pure and simple’. This analysis informed the policy agenda that emerged following the riots, one which was consistent with the ‘Broken Britain’ narrative – that society was breaking down due to a lack of morals. This agenda was chiefly targeted on the poorest communities, but rarely involving people from those communities in discussions about the policies that impact directly on them.
The Social Action & Research Foundation (SARF) believes that communities have capabilities, knowledge and experience that must be more valued within the policy process.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Designing Public Policy for Co-productionTheory, Practice and Change, pp. 149 - 156Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2015