Philanthropic Foundations in Community Benefit Agreements: Vital Partners or Third Wheels (original) (raw)
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Top-Down Civic Projects Are Not Grassroots Associations: How The Differences Matter in Everyday Life
VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2009
Research on civic associations blurs an important distinction between the unfunded, informal, ongoing associations that theorists like de Tocqueville described versus current participatory democracy projects that are funded by the state and large nongovernmental organizations, are open to all, and are usually short-term. Based on a long-term ethnography of youth programs in the United States, this paper shows that entities like these, which participants and researchers alike often called ''volunteer'' or ''civic'' groups, operate very differently from traditional civic groups. The ethnography systematically details prevalent tensions that actors face when they try to cultivate the civic spirit in these increasingly typical organizations.
2010
provided much needed humor and direction throughout the process, as well. This study was made possible by the participation of public officials and business leaders in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. Moreover, I appreciate the members of CHANGE for sharing their experiences, insights, and questions honestly and without hesitation. Finally, I am grateful to IAF Southeast Director, Gerald Taylor; former CHANGE Lead Organizers, Mr. Chris Baumann and Mrs. Deltra Bonner; current Lead Organizer, Reverend Ryan Eller; and CHANGE leaders, Dr. Steve Boyd and Reverend Kelly Carpenter, for agitating me to think more critically and creatively about community organizing and my work in the world. v PREFACE Stories are powerful because they are readings of daily life and human interactions. Perhaps conduits to the soul or simply one's way of making meaning in a chaotic world, stories give us insight into how human beings come to know and be known. This study is a story of sorts-a chronicle of a particular time, a particular place, and a particular group of people who share a mission of bettering their community. The differences arise around what community actually means and what strategies are used to achieve their objectives. This is a story about a town trying to reinvent itself in the face of globalization and economic uncertainty. This is a story of the ghosts that persist in southern communities, and it's a story about an unexpected journey that has challenged me to question the sources of my deepest values and how I interpret them into daily life. At its core, this study is a meditation, a wrestling match, a lament, and a vision about a single question, "Am I my Other's keeper?" and the implications of answering this question. This study grows out of my experiences helping to build a community organizing group, Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment, or CHANGE, through my roles as a founding member, volunteer leader, and professional organizer. It has also developed in response to my academic voyage and my inexhaustible struggle with a faith journey. There has been a confluence between these three paths that has significantly shaped my perspectives of fellow human beings and my internal life. These corridors have afforded meaning and a language for the work that I feel called to do in the world. County versus issue-based actions?; 2) How do elected and appointed public officials and corporate leaders define and view the work of CHANGE?; and 3) What are the indicators which suggest that, as a result of the organization's efforts, changes in governance 2 , participation in public life, individual agency, and the development of meaningful relationships across diverse groups have occurred? For the purposes of this study, my use of the term political and cultural transformation is intended to broadly capture evidence of the dismantling of the master's house and the master's tools; that is to say, transformation means addressing power imbalances and inequities through a demonstration of transparent and shared decision-making, access to resources, public policies that are responsive to all segments of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and a general sense that everyone is considered a valuable, necessary member of the community. This study grows out of my experiences as a founding member, volunteer leader, and professional organizer with CHANGE. The specific concentration on evaluating changes in governance and power relations developed out of discussions with Mr. Gerald Taylor (Southeast Director of the Industrial Areas Foundation), CHANGE leaders, and North Carolina United Power (NCUP) 3 staff regarding the ways in which our respective 2 The term, governance, has emerged from a contemporary global discourse about democracy and civic agency and suggests a broader meaning than government (Boyte, 2005). Marschall (1999) defines governance as the methods used by individuals and institutions to "manage their common affairs, control resources, and exercise power to achieve public purposes" (p. 168). 3 North Carolina United Power is comprised of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) affiliates in North Carolina: Charlotte HELP, Durham CAN, Winston-Salem CHANGE, Lexington Citizens for CHANGE, and the North Carolina Latino Coalition. Organizers and leaders from these groups meet together regularly in order to share information about the work happening in their local communities and to create shared campaigns at the statewide level.
Nonprofit Foundations and Grassroots Organizing: Reshaping Urban Governance
The Professional Geographer
Collaborative urban governance has increased the role of community organizations in local decision-making processes. These organizations need financial resources in order to participate in urban governance. In this article, I examine the impact of foundation grants on the relationships and agendas of four community organizations in one neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. Drawing on interviews, observations of organizations, and archival research, I demonstrate that in the 1990s, nonprofit foundations had a significant impact on the formation of new organizations and on their agendas in the neighborhood. Foundations are, therefore, an important player in urban governance, shaping a ''neighborhood policy regime.'' Key Words: community organizations, urban governance, nonprofit foundations, urban regime theory. * Thanks to Helga Leitner for the encouragement to proceed with this topic, and Sarah Elwood for her insightful editorial input. Errors and omissions remain my own.
Masters of Governance and Public Policy Course: POLS7101 Dynamics of Governance, 2010
DYNAMICS OF GOVERNANCE Research Paper: 'The vitality of ‘Governance through Community and Citizenship Engagement’ in the 21st Century. What are the rationales and best-practice methods for engaging citizens and communities in governance practices through, and what are the various ways in which the dynamism of community-led associations can be used in governance practices? - Case Study on the implementation of the new Regional Development Australia ‘partnership’ initiative 2008-2010 for the Logan and Redlands Region in Queensland.'  Abstract: "The state-centred relational model of Governance for Australia holds true in the 21st century in both Federal and State levels of power and rule. However, it is underpinned through the dynamism of the nature of the relational aspect as shown through the modes of Governance of Community Engagement, and to a much lesser extent by Governance through Associations, which thus is the “glue” that holds it together with the relational aspect. It is this dynamism of engagement governance that allows for a more effective and legitimate governance arrangement to prevail in the modern Australian democratic context. The case study of the establishment of the Regional Development Australia Logan & Redlands Inc, one of the ‘community-run non-government organisations’ setup as part of the 2008 Federal Government Regional Development Australia initiative, as part of the partnership initiative of the Australian Government and Queensland Government for this sub-region of South-East Queensland, provides a good case study of why and how community engagement helps the governments to increase their governance effectiveness and legitimacy for this sub-region. But it also poses many questions – some of which are due to the early implementation stage - such as those base on the political philosophy kind, but also those of basic engagement methods, and the actual effectiveness of such organisations that clearly lack any capacity and are brought into existence due to the governments allocating funds to these projects, as opposed to a grass-roots springing forth of civil society in Australia."
Civic Agency in Governance: The Role of Legitimacy with Citizens vs. Donors
Civil society strengthening programs aim to foster democratic governance by supporting civil society organization (CSO) engagement in advocacy. However, critics claim that these programs foster apolitical and professional organizations that have weak political effects because they do not mobilize citizen participation. This literature focuses on how donor programs lead to low legitimacy of CSOs with citizens, limiting the means to develop agency toward the state. Here I investigate the influence of CSO legitimacy with donors and citizens on civic agency. Empirical research was conducted in Bosnia– Herzegovina on CSOs considered legitimate by donors, citizens, and both. I found that different forms of legitimacy were associated with different strategies and agency. CSOs with both forms of legitimacy, which have not received much attention until now, turned out to be of particular interest. These CSOs demonstrated agency as intermediaries between donors, government, and citizens, which enabled greater agency and broader outcomes.
Revisiting the Issue of Elite Capture of Participatory Initiatives
World Development, 2013
tel: 0045 3533 1767, fax 0045 3533 2671 Pre-proof version of Lund, J.F. and M. Saito-Jensen 2013. Revisiting the issue of elite capture in participatory initiatives. World Development 46: 104-112. 2 ABSTRACT Based on case studies of two communities implementing participatory forestry in Tanzania and India, we revisit the issue of elite capture of participatory initiatives. Our cases illustrate how initial elite capture of the participatory initiatives is circumvented over time through various forms of resistance orchestrated by initially disadvantaged groups. Based on the cases we argue that studies of elite capture should be based on in-depth and longitudinal empirical investigations that carefully characterize forms and outcomes of elite capture and consider both the changing dynamics of social settings and the perceptions held by the people under study.