Power, control, communities and health inequalities III: participatory spaces —an English case

This article —third in a series of three—uses theoretical frameworks described in Part 1, and empirical markers reported in Part 2, to present evidence on how power dynamics shifted during the early years of a major English community empowerment initiative. We demonstrate how the capabilities disadvantaged c ommunities require to exercise collective control over decisions/actions impacting on their lives and health (conceptualized as emancipatory power) and the exercise of power over these communities (conceptualized as limiting power) were shaped by the characteristics of participatory spaces created b y and/or associated with this initiative. Two main types of participatory spaces were identified: governance and sense-making. Though all forms of emancipatory power emerged in all spaces, some were more evident in particular spaces. Ingovernance spaces, the development and enactment of ‘power to’ emerged as residents made formal decisions on action, allocated resources and managed accountability. Capabilities for alliance building—power with—were more likely to emerge in these spaces, as was residents’ resistance to the exercise of institutional power over them. In contrast, insense-making spaces residents met informally and ‘made sense’ of local issues and their ability to influence these. These processes led to the development ofpower within capabilities andpower to resist stigmatizing forms of productive power. The findings highlight the importance of des...
Source: Health Promotion International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research