Sarah Cotterill and Liz Richardson Institute for Political and Economic Governance

1. Sarah Cotterill and Liz Richardson Institute for Political and Economic Governance Rediscovering the civic and achieving better outcomes in public policy www.civicbehaviour.org.uk Changing Institutional Behaviour to Encourage Civic Behaviour Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

2. Background and context Institutional factors and civic behaviour Neighbourhood activity design experiment Research design Preliminary findings Discussion Overview Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

3. Citizen engagement contributes to: Improved public services Cohesive, integrated communities Revive local democracy Well-being and skills Finding solutions to difficult problems (Communities in Control white paper, 2008) Encouraging responsibility for own actions. Councils struggle to get people to participate Background and context Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

4. Contact centres : emphasis on customer care and efficiency. Day to day encounters between front line council officers and citizens Missed opportunity? Service Transformation: Improve capability to respond to citizen needs Joining up services Personalised services (Varney, 2006) Background and context Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

5. Defining civic behaviour Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

6. Being asked to participate is important. Where “rules-in-use” welcome engagement, there is more political participation (Lowndes, Pratchett, Stoker 2006) Talk - “Engage in proper discussions” (Rogers 2004). Appropriate and variable settings. Resources and support (Andrews et al 2008). Civic behaviour as part of a contract (Askew et al 2009). Institutional Factors Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

7. Research Aims Increase civic participation Change the institutional design and opportunity structure Transform passive, one-way, transactional relationship between consumer and provider Into more active, two-way, co-production relationship Research Question How can local authorities successfully build on customer contact to encourage civic behaviour? Design Experiment with Blackburn with Darwen Council Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

8. Origins in the design sciences – new to social science; An untried approach to an identified problem with lack of clarity on how to implement it; Defined and measureable objectives; Redesign over a number of cycles to perfect A comparison group (preferable) Co-production: researchers & practitioners work as team Importance of detailed recording and reflective review Governance group with authority to implement change (Stoker & John 2008) Design Experiments Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

9. Blackburn with Darwen council Contact centre: “We are currently promoting civic awareness in your area and are looking for people to get involved in improving the area. Would you be interested in finding out more?” Neighbourhood worker ½ visited ½ information pack (comparison group) Research Telephone interviews before and after Observation Steering Group Neighbourhood Activity Design Experiment Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

10. Residential area of Blackburn About 4000 residents, 1400 households Ethnicity: 57% white; 41% Asian (British or Pakistani) Within 30% of most deprived areas (ONS) Chosen because has an active and welcoming community association plus range of other activities. The Neighbourhood Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

11. 30 people interested New faces: 7 white men; 7 white women; 8 asian men; 8 asian women More than a third are under 35 years More than two thirds are working 5 who have not undertaken any civic activity in year Happy to be asked Motives: Primary motives to make a difference to the area (crime, litter, activities for children) Preliminary Findings 1 Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

12. Follow up interviews 8 weeks later – No activity yet but 10 of the 30 are still planning to get more involved in action to improve the neighbourhood We lost the new faces: 4 white men; 2 white women; 4 asian men; 0 asian women Two thirds are aged 35-44 Higher level of civic activity in past 12 months Reasons for not getting more involved: Barriers (caring, work, illness, age) “I am happy to put my views forward and be consulted” Want to be listened to and action taken Community organisations not for everyone Preliminary Findings 2 Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

13. We changed the institutional rules and practices through the contact centre “ask” Some success in attracting a range of citizens Local authority concerns about adverse citizen reaction Citizen response: generally favourable Some scepticism about how others will respond: “they are flogging a dead horse” Some scepticism about council motives: “I’m worried its just a token gesture” Citizens have a set of conditions before they’ll respond. Bin strike Discussion Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

14. Initial enthusiasm not translated into action. Why? Intention/action gap? Opportunity structure not changed? Opportunities do not reflect the behaviour citizens want to do? Next iteration: a chance to vary and tailor the opportunity structures Discussion Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009

15. Sarah Cotterill and Liz Richardson Institute for Political and Economic Governance Rediscovering the civic and achieving better outcomes in public policy www.civicbehaviour.org.uk Changing Institutional Behaviour to Encourage Civic Behaviour Informing Public Policy: New Agendas for Social Research 23rd April 2009