Regeneration ties with traction? An inter-organisational case study of social networks and social capital in urban rege

1. Regeneration ties with traction? An inter-organisational case study of social networks and social capital in urban regeneration Beth Carley Centre for Census & Survey Research, University of Manchester Presentation to 6th UK Social Networks Conference, University of Manchester, 14th-16th April 2010

2. Background to study • Comparative study of the inter-organisational networks of community groups in 2 out of 3 admin areas of New East Manchester (NEM) • NEM is an urban regeneration area, overseen by urban regeneration company of same name- responsible for strategic development of area

3. New East Manchester City centre

4. Part of New East Manchester (Beswick) pre-regeneration (1998)

5. Background to study • Within NEM area three neighbourhoods targeted for £75 New Deal for Communities (NDC) funding starting 1999= ‘Beacons’ area • Other two areas to north and south absorbed into NEM boundary in 2007 • South area- Gorton- is comparator area for study

6. NEM boundary ‘Beacons’ Beswick, Clayton, Openshaw

7. Background to study • NDC community-led approach to regeneration on multiple indicators of deprivation • Community involvement at all levels including governing board • Substantial investment in residents’ group development- and Residents’ Forum- attempting to bring active residents together for the area • Beacons NDC recognised as a success of NDC scheme nationally- in community involvement and across other areas

8. (Part of) Beacons area now (Beswick)

9. Where my study comes in • My study enters as NDC ends • NEM taken over reins- but very limited funding • End of scheme means capacity of residents to remain active in and for the area critical to avoid return to decline • Community partnerships- one in each of three areas- part of this.

10. NEM Community Partnerships New East Manchester Board of Directors Elected resident board members Beacons Community Partnership Gorton All Together (Gorton Community Partnership Miles Platting, Ancoats and Newton Heath Community Partnership Residents’ groups One community partnership in each of three NEM areas

11. The study • Empirical investigation of network inter-organisational relations • between residents’ groups: one-mode complete network data • Between residents’ groups and mainstream local services: two-mode • Comparing Beacons regeneration area and non-funded area of Gorton

12. Research questions • How connected are residents’ groups in each area? • How connected are groups to local services? • Who are the key players? • What benefits do relations and the structure of relations confer to the network?: Operational, micro/meso-level, versus strategic macro-level benefits (How social is the social capital value of ties?)

13. Network specification/ data • Network boundaries defined • by admin boundaries of Beacons and Gorton • Eligibility for participation in community partnership (NEM lists) • 54 groups in Beacons area; 47 in Gorton • Circa 50 mainstream service-providers

14. Data collection • Networks questionnaire administered face-to-face: 75/90 minutes • Self-completion questionnaire on attributes of their group and short attitudinal questionnaire for individual respondents

15. Relations: one-mode • Direct personal contact and tie strength (eliminatory question) • Receiving/ giving valuable information and frequency on 4-point scale • Colloboration (‘working together’)- whether single/multiple incidence and whether will recur • Co-membership of groups by committee members- how many members shared

16. Relations: two-mode • Direct personal contact and tie strength (eliminatory question) • Receiving/ giving valuable information and frequency on 4-point scale • Colloboration (‘working together’)- whether single/multiple incidence and whether will recur • Formal role of group members in service- how many members • Plus: reasons for non contact with other groups/ service and perceived benefits of contacts with each

17. Attributes • Set-up funding/support from NDC/NEM/other services? • Size; level of activity; embeddedness of group in neighbourhood • Individual respondent perceptions of effectiveness of regeneration and role of NDC/NEM

18. Data analysis- foci Focus on: network characteristics which promote effectiveness of network in serving needs of groups in improving area- and factors which may explain these structures • Descriptive analysis of global network characteristics • Global structure in terms of hierarchy/polycentricity • Actor centrality and prestige and associated attributes • Micro-level structures- levels of reciprocity/ transitivity and associated attributes • Possible regression modelling/ p* modelling

19. Preliminary findings: Beacons groups • Beacons groups less connected than Gorton?? • Groups ‘got their little piece, and were off’. • Residents still fighting for their patch • ‘Hard core’, well connected to each other and with formal roles in local services • Cross-neighbourhood hierarchical structure? • Hard core also those with formal ties to services • Non-contact: neighbourhood focus; lack of time/ burn-out; Money: ‘no money; no influence’

20. Preliminary findings: Gorton groups- same curve; different point? • ‘NEM are the only people who’ve tried to bring Gorton together and I think they’re [sic] working.’ • Role of Gorton 100 events in gelling network, as well as symbolic value • Geographically proximate key players • Evidence of network polycentricity

21. Preliminary findings/ implications for policy approach • Top-down approach can be valuable: ‘People in power are more accessible than they used to be.’ • Flip-side is disappointments in dependency relationship: ‘They’ve trained residents up and given them a voice and now they’ve been dropped.’ • Both operational and strategic value of ties can shift or evaporate when money and bodies move on: social capital to social ‘liability’ • Unintended consequence of time-limited social capital building from above?

22. ‘That’s all folks!’ Thanks for listening Questions/ suggestions? Email: elizabeth.carley@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk