Beyond Symptoms: Crime Prevention And Community Development

Crime and crime prevention are currently ‘hot’ political and social issues. Fuelled by public calls for ‘solutions’, the responses by politicians and planners are typically ‘quick‐fix’ with emphasis on management of particular problems as, and where, they arise. We argue for longer term strategies aimed at dealing with the political, social, economic and cultural factors associated with crime. In doing so, we explore the potential of community development to contribute to crime prevention, particularly ‘community’ or ‘street’ crime and violence. Theoretical and practice intersections between community development and certain crime prevention approaches are identified – notably those which link crime and violence with dis‐empowerment, poverty, inequality, exclusion, the learning of violence within families and communities, and lack of opportunity for children and young people to develop their potential. We conclude that there is plenty of evidence to support the view that community development processes should be used more frequently in crime prevention programmes.     

RECONSTITUTING COMMUNITY: SOCIAL JUSTICE,SOCIAL ORDER AND THE POLITICS OF COMMUNITY

Social policy debates are informed today by a rhetoric of the ‘politics of community’ which focuses on problems of social fragmentation and exclusion in the new era of globalisation. While this rhetoric was earlier associated primarily with debate on social justice, it now more frequently relies on notions of social order, notably in the Federal Government's welfare reform agenda. ‘Community ‘ is thus a central and dynamic focus of debate, especially in relation to the arguments over ‘social capital’. The most important question in this project of ‘reconstituting community’ is the kind of community likely to emerge under globalisation: which question cannot be raised without shifting the current focus on social order back to one on social justice.     

The mediating effect of civic community on social growth: The importance of reciprocity

This paper examines the effects of economic structural change on community social capital. The content of 156 interviews in Southern communities entrenched in the offshore oil economy, were used to investigate the consequences of industrial and civic restructuring on the social structure and social ties among local residents. The central finding is that population turnover and in-migration of workers demanded by a rapidly expanding economy enhances the density of weak tie networks within the community. However, the activation of these weak ties is highly dependent upon perceptions of future reciprocity from newcomers to the community by the entrenched members. Weak ties are important because they serve as a foundation for community members engaging in collective problem solving. Civic and social institutions can mediate the negative effects of rapid community growth shown. When newcomers are not integrated into the community, it may lead to exploitation and exclusion due to stigmatic labels.     

Social Exclusion and Participation in Community Development Projects: Evidence from Senegal

This article seeks to provide a new insight into the debate about participation through a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms at play behind community participation. The combined use of the concepts of social exclusion and of game theory is explored as a dynamic and innovative analytical tool to understand participatory processes in community development projects. The framework is tested against the analysis of participation in an NGO‐led community project in Senegal. Policy implications point to a need to unravel the complexity of participation to design more effective and sustainable community development projects.     

Housing and the Social Exclusion Agenda in England

In the period immediately following its election in 1997 the current Labour government in the UK declared a commitment to ‘combating social exclusion’ to be at the core of the domestic policy agenda. The interpretation of the term ‘social exclusion’ has been the source of extensive debate. This paper focuses on one aspect of the current debate, exploring the relationship between housing and social exclusion, both in theory and in contemporary central government policy in England. I argue that theoretical imprecision is a very real issue, not least because it allows policy makers to refer to rather vague causal mechanisms or social processes to justify actions and interventions. I identify some of the areas that require further exploration and theoretical development if we are to have a rigorous understanding of the concept of social exclusion and its link to housing. Most fundamentally, I suggest that the question of whether the concept of ‘social exclusion’ contributes anything valuable to our ability to understand social disadvantage needs to be addressed directly.     

日本社区福利发展模式与居民参与

社区发展作为社会工作的一部分在发达国家已有上百年的历史,随着人类社会的不断进步,寻找社会福利的新型依托主体势在必行,社区福利时代已经来临。本文通过对日本的社区福利的调查,从政府完善相应的法律法规、社会福利与社区福利的关系、社区组织的功能与居民参与的重要性等几个方面,探讨社区福利体系与发展模式。     

Social Work Practice for Social Development in Bangladesh: Issues and Challenges

Social work addresses social issues that constrain the betterment of a community. However, social work practice is struggling to deal effectively with the development challenges of Bangladesh. Based on a literature review and the experiences of the authors, this paper explores the emerging issues where social work practice is anticipated as a promising alternative for bringing sustainable social development in Bangladesh. Simultaneously, the paper discovers the limitation of social work practice in Bangladesh addressing these challenges.     

Learning Lessons from the Past or Re-Visiting Old Mistakes: Social Work and Community Development in Northern Ireland

Correspondence to Dr Deirdre Heenan, School of Policy Studies, University of Ulster, Magee Campus, Londonderry BT48 7JL, UK. E-mail: DA.Heenan{at}ulster.ac.uk Summary In recent years there has been a re-emphasis on community developmentapproaches in health and social work in Northern Ireland. Underpinningthese approaches is the belief that local communities can beorganized to address health and social needs and to work withgovernment agencies, voluntary bodies and local authoritiesin delivering services and local solutions to problems. Thesemethods of working challenge the traditional social work focuson individual and family casework interventions. Governmentin Northern Ireland has stressed that community developmentshould no longer simply be an afterthought in key aspects ofHealth and Social Services, but should instead be at the coreof their work. It is now officially recognized that communitydevelopment has the potential to make a significant impact ona broad spectrum of policies and programmes, which are deliveredthrough agencies in both the statutory and voluntary sectors.This commitment to community development has been outlined ina number of key documents and reports. This paper assesses therelationship between social work and community development inNorthern Ireland. The first section looks briefly at the historyof community development and social work and then sets out thecontext in which this move towards the promotion of a communitysocial work approach is occurring. Against this backdrop, acase study of a Family Support Team, which provides a rangeof services in a community setting, is used to illustrate howthe strategy has already been adopted and the lessons of thisexperience are explored and discussed. It is concluded thatwhile this approach has a lot to offer it is not without itsdifficulties. Far from being a new philosophy, community developmentis being reinvented and reapplied. It is therefore crucial thatold mistakes are not revisited and old prejudices rekindled.It is hoped that this article will provide a useful contributionto the current important and necessary debate.     

污名化情境及其应对策略:流动人口的城市适应及其社区变迁的个案研究

面对污名化及其制度性排斥的社会情境,流动人口群体应当在社会互动和关系纽带基础上,形成以城市适应为中心的集体化应对策略来化解新环境的生存风险;同时这种日常生活实践化的集体关系网络关系到社区结构相互作用,进而影响社区的发展实践。笔者通过分析一个流动人口聚居区的社区实践过程,肯定了流动人口作为社会实践主体的能动性,从同化适应策略、关系性适应策略到发展性适应策略,不同时期的城市适应形态显示了流动人口面对污名化情境的自主选择性,并由此带来流动人口聚居区的社区整体结构变迁。     

Patronage and Participation, Problem and Paradox: a Case Study in Community Work

Summary This paper describes the emergence and development of a neighbourhood-basedself-help organization. For over three years it has been staffedby self-styled community workers. For the first two years theworkers were mostly ex-students who hoped that this organizationcould be a means of effecting radical forms of social change.They have been succeeded by local people whose main purposeis to provide a social service. This transition produced disagreementbetween the different community workers. But it is a trend whichshould confound any stereotype ideas about community workersas always out of sympathy with all aspects of the establishment. The organization has moved from concern with one issue to providingvarious community services. It has passed through stages ofdevelopment characterized by the liabilities of newness, byattempts to' plan and consolidate and by efforts to resist becomingan established organization. The latter stages also became liabilitiesof 'success'. A central problem in this community work enterprise is the relationshipbetween participation and patronage. This refers to the problemof how to elicit and maintain local interest and support andthe paradox, that although outside help may be one way of ensuringthat local groups survive, it may also limit local people'sinvolvement and influence their goals. Dependence on patronsand a reluctance to organize local participation affected theorganization's development: patrons provided various resourcesbut were possibly a disincentive to the development of localinitiatives. The nature of free participation resulted in anunintended drift towards more conventional forms of social service,albeit in an unconventional setting     

虚拟社区是否增进社区在线参与？一个基于日常观测数据的社会网络分析案例

对互联网技术的使用是否会增进公民的社区参与一直是一个具有争议性的问题,对于网络社区在其中如何发挥作用的相关研究却寥寥无几。本文利用大数据,采用一个案例,从社会网络分析的视角对此进行研究。通过区分不同性质的讨论网后发现,网络社区对业主的网络公民参与存在正效应,不同议题的讨论网关系可以相互转化,从而促进网络参与。     

浅析社会工作伦理价值在社区矫正中的运用

随着社会工作在我国的蓬勃发展,社会工作伦理价值在社区矫正等领域的运用也逐步受到重视。在社会工作专业的发展历程中。价值和伦理问题始终是其重要议题。本文从分析社会工作与社区矫正的融合之处出发,分析了社会工作伦理价值在社区矫正中的运用,并对社区矫正中社会工作的伦理困境进行了探讨。     

Jobs in the Bush: Global Industries and Inclusive Rural Development

How do rural communities manage the challenge of local governance and community capacity‐building, given the policy choices of central government (both state and national) in favour of global resource‐development industries? Central government policy choices expose rural communities to the vagaries of the global economy, even as the Australian government's stated intent vis‐à‐vis rural Australia is the exact opposite: to encourage locally driven economic and community sustainability. Rural development policy in Australia often has the effect of denying the very outcomes it hopes to achieve. On the one hand, government policies encourage rural communities to be independent, to build ‘social capital’, and to add value to their local produce; on the other hand, macroeconomic policies change the contexts within which these communities function, creating a tension which is difficult to reconcile. In the case of the Western District of Victoria, an established agricultural and pastoral region, the cycles of economic activity have been disrupted in recent years by new and exciting global industries whose trajectories sit largely outside local control. This paper questions whether governments have a systemic view of the impact of these competing demands on rural communities, and calls for a more informed, whole‐of‐government policy‐making for the development of Australia's rural regions.     

Community Service and Political Identity Development in Adolescence

This article addresses the interconnection of political socialization and identity development. We begin with Erikson's work, which identified the development of political commitment in adolescence as a key aspect of identity formation. We then seek to shed light on the social processes through which youth become engaged in political activities and issues. We discuss the influences of family and peers as well as participation in community service and other civic activities. The development of social responsibility and agency, and an understanding of the complexity of social issues are considered as important facets of political commitment. Data from a case study of Black urban adolescents who participated in a year-long service learning program are used to illustrate our perspective. We conclude that social-historical context, instantiated in social relationships and actions, plays a pivotal role in the process and shape of political socialization and identity formation.     

A Community of Shared Future for Mankind—The Contemporary Development of the Social Foundations Theory of International Law*

In the traditional understanding, the social basis of the emergence and existence of international law can be summed up as an international society in which interstate conflict and cooperation and interests and contradictions coexist. In recent years, the term “international community” has been widely used in national practice and academic discourse. Many scholars believe that the development of interstate relations indicates that the international community is being transformed into a global international community. The concept of “a community of shared future for mankind” reflects China’s new understanding of the social foundations of international law. It introduces Chinese traditional culture into global governance, develops Marxist theory on the community, is concerned both for mankind as a whole and for individuals, highlights the ultimate issues of the international community, and emphasizes the international community’s union of diversity and interdependence. The idea of “a community of shared future for mankind” is of great significance for the theory and practice of international law; it reflects the emergence of methodological holism, the response of international law to the questioning of its legitimacy, and the trend toward hierarchical systematization in international law. The concept of “a community of shared future for mankind” is of great value to China’s participation in the reform of the global governance system. It will help promote appreciation of the relations between China and the world, enhance China’s international discourse power and discourse force, and promote the rule of law in international relations that China advocates.     

文化多元与民族敏感——西方民族社会工作中的东方思想

本文分析了全球化背景下社会工作回应文化多样性与民族敏感的发展历程,西方社会工作对东方宗教、精神性议题、信仰社区、社会结构、民族敏感性社会工作等议题的关注,以及在社会工作实务应用的得失。反观西方社会工作对文化多元性的回应,对中国社会工作本土化特别是多民族中进行社会工作实务有着重要的借鉴价值,多元一体的理念与社区为本的社会工作,应该成为社会工作本土化的重要取向。     

Community-based approaches to social exclusion among rural-to-urban migrants in China

Rural-to-urban migrants in China face numerous forms of social exclusion. This article argues that community-based approaches offer innovative ways with which to tackle the problems of social exclusion for rural-to-urban migrants, yet these approaches have been neglected. This article first provides an overview of the concept of social exclusion, as developed by Western European scholarship and policy discourse. Next, it examines the ways in which these concepts are relevant to the context of rural-to-urban migrants within China. Finally, this article conceptualizes the social exclusion paradigm from a community practice perspective and offers the implications of this paradigm for community-level interventions.     

THE GROPE FOR GROUP

There has been an apparent increase in the use of social work groups for clinical purposes. This trend has neglected the more traditional and important use of groups for community change goals. Even when working with clinical groups, community goals can be impacted. This article suggests a specific methodology for integrating group treatment goals with community action. It suggests that group workers view their role as instigators in broadening community support and action around clinical group work issues; that agencies need to make time to do this; that how group workers connect group work to community action needs to be empirically demonstrated with each service act.     

广州社区规划的探索与实践

社区规划是城市规划的重要内容。社区是城市的基本单元，社区发展直接影响到城市经济、社会的发展，因此城市规划要充分考虑社区的因素。本文探讨了城市规划与社区规划的关系，分析了社区规划的基本原则，并从宏观层面、巾观层面、微观层面、技术层面介绍了广州社区规划的特点。     

Community Development, Partnership Governance and Dilemmas of Professionalization: Profiling and Assessing the Case of Ireland

Over the last two decades, Ireland has emerged as a paradigmaticcase of partnership governance. Underpinned by state-facilitatednational agreements that sought to maximize economic and socialdevelopment, ‘partnership’ was also held to includethe development of progressive social policies. The ‘communityand voluntary sector’ has been both the site and purportedvehicle for these progressive policies. In this context, communitydevelopment emerged as a discourse of social action that wasboth popular with what Donnelly-Cox and Jaffro (1999) have inthe Irish context called ‘second generation communitydevelopment’, i.e. the emergence of self-activated localcommunity groups informed by a social justice ethos, and tothe Irish state as a route to social inclusion for an arrayof marginalized social groups. Since the early 1990s, thesegroups have been the recipients of significantly increased statefunding. This resource has had a dramatic effect on the structureand nature of community development. In this paper, we outlineand assess the model of community development that has emergedin Ireland during this period. Based on empirical data arisingfrom a nationwide survey of community workers, we profile theextent of state funding; the consequent employment profile ofcommunity development workers and the impact on volunteerism;and the nature and consequence of community development’semerging relationship with the Irish state.