Power, participation and political renewal

Marian Barnes is Professor of Social Policy at the University of Brighton. She has researched user involvement and public participation for many years. Janet Newman is Professor of Social Policy at the Open University, Milton Keynes. She has published extensively on issues of governance and on challenges to the public sphere and public services. Helen Sullivan is Professor of Urban Governance at the University of the West of England, Bristol. She specialises in the study of collaborative governance.

• Introduction: Participation in context; Inclusive democracy and social movements; Shaping public participation: public bodies and their publics; Re-forming services; Neighbourhood and community governance; Responding to a differentiated public; Issues and expertise; Conclusion: power, participation and political renewal.

"Around the world - including the UK - new policies and innovations in public participation are re-shaping the contours of how and where citizens engage with public institutions. Drawing from diverse theoretical perspectives on social movements, deliberative democracy and institutional design, this book provides us rich empirical case studies from across the UK of what actually happens when publics and public bodies engage with one another. In so doing, the authors skilfully interrogate whether and how these new participatory spaces can fulfil their claims to empower citizens, improve public services and re-vitalise political life. An excellent and challenging read, the book should become a core text for students, practitioners and policy makers everywhere who are concerned with exploring the transformative possibilities of citizen participation and inclusive democracy." John Gaventa, Professor, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK