{"id":1345,"date":"2010-01-06T11:50:38","date_gmt":"2010-01-06T11:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localenterprise.wordpress.com\/?p=916"},"modified":"2010-01-06T11:50:38","modified_gmt":"2010-01-06T11:50:38","slug":"precautions-for-all-governments-john-mcknight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2010\/01\/06\/precautions-for-all-governments-john-mcknight\/","title":{"rendered":"Precautions for All Governments &#8211; John McKnight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In John McKnight&#8217;s &#8216;Building Communities from the Inside Out&#8217; is a chapter on &#8216;Providing support for asset based development: Policies and Guidelines&#8217;. \u00a0John may not be the greatest crafter of a punchy headline on the planet, but he does understand the process of community development &#8211; and the content of this section is right on the money.<\/p>\n<p>In a section called &#8216;Precautions for all Governments&#8217; he points out the problems that governments and other\u00a0institutions\u00a0of the state have in working with what are often small, simple and informal community development groups. \u00a0He suggests that often, in trying to play its role, government ends up &#8216;dominating, distorting and demeaning&#8217; the work of local people. \u00a0McKnight offers a few principles that can help government officials (council officers, RDA employees etc) to avoid this &#8216;overbearing propensity&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>To paraphrase:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remember that government workers and programmes are public servants. \u00a0A\u00a0servant\u00a0supports and does not control. \u00a0A\u00a0servant\u00a0never suggests that an employee might &#8216;participate&#8217; in the servants&#8217; work. \u00a0The servant finds how best to serve the employer.<\/li>\n<li>Understand the limits to government. \u00a0If it replaces the work of citizens and their associations it will not create a\u00a0healthy\u00a0society &#8211; \u00a0but a\u00a0dependent\u00a0one. \u00a0The\u00a0community\u00a0will look to government to solve local problems and government\u00a0will\u00a0be unable to\u00a0fulfil\u00a0this role. \u00a0Local\u00a0problems will worsen. &#8216;Secure, wise and just communities are created by citizens and their associations and enterprises, supported by governments making useful investments in local assets&#8217;.<\/li>\n<li>Let\u00a0local\u00a0people who do the work take the credit. \u00a0Don&#8217;t send the mayor to &#8216;cut the ribbon&#8217;. \u00a0Let those that did the work have the glory. \u00a0Send the mayor to thank them.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t replace local\u00a0associations\u00a0and institutions with new systems and agencies. \u00a0&#8216;One of the most significant causes of weakened local citizen initiatives,\u00a0associational\u00a0work and institutional capacity has been the introduction of new government sponsored structures and organisations. \u00a0As new organisations appear in the neighbourhood with impressive buildings or offices, lots of money and well paid outside professionals (sounds familiar?) they unintentionally but necessarily replace some of the power, authority and legitimacy of local groups. \u00a0Although they assert that they are there to\u00a0strengthen\u00a0community, they are\u00a0likely\u00a0to replace community initiatives.&#8217;<\/li>\n<li>Government representatives should ask &#8220;What do you local people think we should do to support you?&#8221; rather than &#8220;We have this new programme we are bringing to your community.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Ones size does not fit all. \u00a0Characteristics\u00a0of local projects are diversity, proliferation and informality. \u00a0Government and\u00a0bureaucracy\u00a0however is more\u00a0often\u00a0characterised by uniformity, standardisation and formality. \u00a0They usually seek to develop processes and systems that will &#8216;fit all&#8217;. \u00a0This\u00a0approach\u00a0is structurally and culturally &#8216;at odds&#8217; with\u00a0creative\u00a0local\u00a0initiatives that are vital to community regeneration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One of the challenges that I believe government (local, regional\u00a0and\u00a0national) and its agencies has to\u00a0address\u00a0is how best do we make our expertise and professional &#8216;knowhow&#8217; available to community groups? \u00a0Instead they appear to be have succeeded in co-opting the expertise and knowhow of community groups to deliver governments&#8217; policies programmes and targets on dependent and disempowered communities.<\/p>\n<p>Time for a change methinks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Posts\"><ul class=\"entry-meta\"><li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"An imaginary open letter: To those who would &#8216;engage&#8217; us&#8230;\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/08\/09\/an-imaginary-open-letter-to-those-who-would-engage-us\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">An imaginary open letter: To those who would &#8216;engage&#8217; us&#8230;<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Some thoughts on Best City outcomes\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/07\/05\/some-thoughts-on-best-city-outcomes\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Some thoughts on Best City outcomes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Some Barriers to Engagement\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/06\/13\/some-barriers-to-engagement\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Some Barriers to Engagement<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Getting to Grips with Social Finance &#8211; FREE TRAINING\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/06\/12\/getting-to-grips-with-social-finance-free-training\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Getting to Grips with Social Finance &#8211; FREE TRAINING<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"SPOSTARBUST-Related-Post\"><a title=\"Working In Community Development Today&#8230;\" href=\"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2012\/05\/23\/working-in-community-development-today\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Working In Community Development Today&#8230;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In John McKnight&#8217;s &#8216;Building Communities from the Inside Out&#8217; is a chapter on &#8216;Providing support for asset based development: Policies and Guidelines&#8217;. \u00a0John may not be the greatest crafter of a punchy headline on the planet, but he does understand the process of community development &#8211; and the content of this section is right on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36,38,39,49,189,200],"class_list":["post-1345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized","tag-community","tag-community-development","tag-community-engagement","tag-development","tag-social-capital","tag-strategy","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1345\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}