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Exploring Power and Influence in the UK Democracy and Civil Society Programme Democracy and Civil Society Programme Exploring Power and Influence in the UK Democracy and Civil Society Programme Carnegie UK Trust is one of over twenty foundations worldwide set up by Scots American Andrew Carnegie, working to support a more just, democratic, peaceful and sustainable world. We support independent commissions of inquiry into areas of public concern, together with action and research programmes. If you would like to comment on this publication or offer feedback please Power Moves: Exploring and Influence in the UK email [email protected] Carnegie UK Trust POWER MOVES: CUKT, Dunfermline office Andrew Carnegie House Exploring Power and Influence in the UK Pittencrieff Street Dunfermline Fife, KY12 8AW CUKT, London office 2nd Floor, Downstream Building 1 London Bridge London, SE1 9BG Power Moves: Exploring Power and Influence in the UK Acknowledgements Carnegie UK Trust is one of over twenty foundations worldwide set up by Scots American Andrew Carnegie, working to support a more just, democratic, peaceful and sustainable world. The Trust supports independent commissions of inquiry into areas of public concern, together with action and research programmes. The Trust would like to acknowledge the contributions of Diana Leat, staff of the Carnegie UK The Carnegie UK Trust currently has two programmes: Trust (Erin Van der Maas, Soumountha Keophilavong, Morven Masterton and Raji Hunjan) and the consultants involved in the development of this report. The Democracy and Civil Society Programme has two elements to its work. The focus of the programme is the Trust’s Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland, chaired by Geoff Mulgan. The purpose of the Inquiry is to: explore the possible future threats to and opportunities for civil society, looking out to 2025; to identify how policy and practice can be enhanced to help strengthen civil society; and to enhance the ability of civil society associations to prepare for the opportunities and challenges of the future. The findings of the Commission will be presented in 2009. The democracy strand of the programme focuses on how citizens and civil society associations best apply and engage with power and influence in order to affect change. The Rural Programme examines and promotes ways in which rural communities across the UK and Ireland can be empowered to shape and influence change and works to ensure that rural priorities are fully recognised by decision makers. The programme began with the establishment of the Commission for Rural Community Development in 2004 in the light of significant political, environmental and economic challenges affecting rural areas. The Commission’s work is now complete and the findings are contained in the report ‘A Charter for Rural Communities.’ To date, a core part of the work has been the Rural Action Research Programme. Carnegie has worked with over 40 partners to demonstrate cost effective, community- led solutions to the challenges facing rural areas. Now the Rural Programme is now leading on the creation of a ‘community of practice’ (with participation from community activists, professional community development workers, policy makers and funders) and the implementation of the ideas set out in the Charter for Rural Communities in real places. In addition to the Trust’s core programmes, the Trust supports efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of philanthropy. For example, the Trust has invested in the establishment of the first Research Centre on Charitable Giving and Philanthropy. Diana Leat is a freelance consultant specialising in the philanthropic sector, citizenship and policy development. She was formerly Director of the Creative Philanthropy Programme at the Carnegie UK Trust. Prior to this, she was Visiting Professor at City University Business School. Diana has been a consultant to various grant-making foundations in the UK and Australia reviewing their policies and practices. She has been Senior Fellow at the Policy Studies Published by the Carnegie UK Trust Institute and has worked as a consultant for Demos. She has also worked with WINGS-CF as a consultant, editor and in evaluating the effectiveness of its peer matching program. She has CUKT, Dunfermline office published extensively on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. Andrew Carnegie House Pittencrieff Street Dunfermline Fife, KY12 8AW CUKT, London office 2nd Floor, Downstream Building 1 London Bridge London, SE1 9BG www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk Scottish charity SC 012799 operating in the UK and Ireland August, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-900259-03-6 Designed by Falconbury Disclaimer: The Carnegie UK Trust normally does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views presented here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Trust, its officers, staff, or trustees. 121 Foreword Foreword ‘Democracy is not a static thing. It is an everlasting march’ (Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1935). Observers disagree on where we are on that march. On the one hand, we have a ‘democratic deficit’ with low levels of voter turnout and low levels of trust in politicians. On the other hand, we have a growing number of civil society associations, acknowledged and embraced by politicians of all persuasions. But how do civil society associations and democracy relate to each other? How, if at all, do civil society associations contribute to democracy? Are they, as some might suggest, powerless in the face of other interests? How much room is there for ordinary citizens to shape the decisions that affect our daily lives, beyond or in addition to the ballot box? This report tells the stories of four recent policy decisions and examines the role of civil society associations in influencing those decisions. These four stories, which examine the issues of energy, school dinners, equalities and English language teaching, illustrate the complexity of power, and the way in which power moves between issues and over time. The message from these stories is largely positive. However disadvantaged they may be, citizens, working together, can and do influence decisions. But effective influence requires more than demonstrations and placards (though in some cases those have a place). We hope that these stories will be of value to civil society associations in thinking through the tools and strategies – the power moves – they need to adopt, and the spaces they can occupy, to ensure that their voices are not merely broadcast but are also received. This report has been developed as part of the Trust’s Democracy and Civil Society Programme and specifically in relation to the Trust’s interest in how civil society associations apply and engage with power and influence. We would like to thank Diana Leat for undertaking the cross-case study analysis and all of the organisations and staff that have been involved in shaping this report. Lenka Setkova Director, Democracy and Civil Society Programme Carnegie UK Trust 1 Power Moves: Exploring Power and Influence in the UK Contents Introduction 3 Focus of the Report 3 Exploring Power and Influence 5 Power in Britain Today 5 Analysing power 9 The case studies: cross-case 11 study analysis Implications for civil society associations 18 References 19 Footnotes 19 Appetite for change: School meals 20 policy in the limelight 2005 Disempowered: Citizen participation and 44 influence in the 2006 Energy Review Pay up or shut up: putting a price on 70 English language lessons Equal Before the Law? Church, state 98 and equality legislation 2005–07 Practical Resources Appendix 118 2 Introduction Introduction Focus of the Report “Participation”, “civil society” and “citizen engagement” are now part of the political lexicon. Increasingly, such concepts are frequently discussed – often with a view to encouraging more discussion.1 For example, in 2007 the UK government’s Office of the Third Sector (OTS) published a review of the third sector (non- governmental organisations) emphasising “voice” and campaigning as a key role. However, the third sector is clearly not the only sector with a voice, and is not the only means by which citizens may engage with decisions that affect their lives. In addition to the ballot box, citizens may, in theory, exercise power both individually and collectively, via various organisations such as political parties, faith-based organisations, trade unions, occupational interest groups and so on. But is the idea that citizens can influence decisions affecting their lives, by whatever means, an illusion? Put crudely, who really has power, and do some groups and interests in British society have a lot more power and influence than others? What space is there for “ordinary” citizens to exert influence? Who participates in determining policy outcomes and decision-making and through what structures and by what means? In particular, what power do the socially and economically most disadvantaged have? These issues underpinned Carnegie UK Trust’s desire to look more closely at power and influence in contemporary society. Power, in the sense of the ability to influence change, is not evenly distributed. In addition to the concentrations of power within government, the corporate world, the media and among the rich, various studies demonstrate that public participation through the third sector is dominated by the middle class who have greater access to the resources required for participation, mobilisation and influence (Weir et al 2008). But power is complex and who has it and who does not varies over time, between regions (and devolved governments) and between issues. Power may be exercised in the interests of the powerful, as well as by those with power in the interests of the powerless. Power entails control over resources, but those resources are more complex than money. One of the more powerful resources illustrated in this report is the power to set the agenda and the terms of consultation/power sharing. As the case studies demonstrate, the “powerless” may have more power than they tend to assume; there are various levers which ordinary people can grasp including civil and political rights, the ombudsman service, statutory and other rules.
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