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Marginalised or Enabled Voices? ‘User Participation’ in Policy and Practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2008

Catherine Bochel ,
Hugh Bochel ,
Peter Somerville  and
Claire Worley
Catherine Bochel
Affiliation:
University of Lincoln, Department of Policy Studies E-mail: cbochel@lincoln.ac.uk
Hugh Bochel
Affiliation:
University of Lincoln, Department of Policy Studies E-mail: cbochel@lincoln.ac.uk
Peter Somerville
Affiliation:
University of Lincoln, Department of Policy Studies E-mail: cbochel@lincoln.ac.uk
Claire Worley
Affiliation:
Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of Psychology and Social Change
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Abstract

The idea of participation has been central to many policy developments in recent years. Both Conservative and Labour governments have used notions of participation and involvement in attempts to justify and implement their social policies. Yet, despite a plethora of initiatives and guidance around ‘participation’ emerging from all levels of government, and a substantial academic literature, there remains a major, and potentially damaging, lack of clarity over many aspects of participation, while the secret of achieving ‘real’ participation appears to continue to remain elusive.

Type
Themed Section on Choice or voice
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 201 - 210
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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