Capacity Building in the Voluntary and Community Sectors
| DOI | 10.1177/0952076707086253 |
| Date | 01 April 2008 |
| Author | John Diamond |
| Published date | 01 April 2008 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Capacity Building in the
Voluntary and Community
Sectors
Towards Relative Independence – Limits and Possibilities
John Diamond
Edge Hill University, UK
Abstract The UK Government’s National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal (2001)
identified ways in which the voluntary and community sectors are to be
supported in developing their ‘capacity’. We can begin to reflect on current
practice and experience and identify early trends. This article will draw on a
completed evaluation of the development of a community centre funded via
the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It had as its remit that of
increasing local capacity in the community and supporting new employment
opportunities. The initiative established a local partnership that had a
significant number of local residents and tenants on the management board.
The article will suggest that while both the model developed and the expertise
of those involved have a number of positive features there are important
policy and practice issues still to be resolved. In particular, we need to be
clear about both the intended (and unstated) assumptions surrounding
‘capacity building’ and the potential limits to local or neighbourhood
partnerships, and the real conflicts of interests they contain. Specifically, we
need to think more clearly about securing relative independence for such
initiatives, and what this may mean for all parties involved.
Keywords community, evaluation conflict, neighbourhood, partnership, regeneration
Introduction
In seeking to explore the potential ‘tensions’ contained within ‘capacity building’
at a local level and the search for ‘relative’ independence, this article describes the
experiences of one initiative in the North West of England and attempts to locate
DOI: 10.1177/0952076707086253
John Diamond, The Centre for Local Policy Studies, Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk,
Lancashire L39 4QP, UK. [email: diamondj@edgehill.ac.uk] 153
© Public Policy and Administration
SAGE Publications Ltd
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200804 23(2) 153–166
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