Involve (think tank)
Encyclopedia
The Involve Foundation (known as Involve) is a leading UK based charity focused on public participation
.
with Simon Burall as Director and is governed by a board chaired by Ian Christie and including Geoff Mulgan
amongst the trustees.Involve was founded in 2004 by Richard Wilson to determine how new forms of public participation
can strengthen democracy
in Britain and elsewhere.
Involve has twin objectives of:
Involve receives core funding from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
and has worked with a wide range of organisations including the Home Office
, Scottish Government, The Welsh Assembly, the Turkish State Planning Organisation, OECD, European Commission
, the BBC
, the Department for Communities and Local Government
and the Ministry of Justice.
Involve also works closely with local government, the devolved administrations and the voluntary sector to create more meaningful connections between communities and government.
Involve’s focus is on public participation
across a variety of sectors, including eParticipation
, Youth participation
, Patient and Public Involvement in health, large group facilitation
and deliberative democracy
.
Making a Difference – This guide to evaluating public participation is intended to help those involved in planning, organising or funding these activities to understand the different factors involved in creating effective public participation.
Democratic Technologies? – This report documents the progress of six projects that have sought to engage the public in discussions about the governance and development of nanotechnologies.
Healthy Democracy This is a collaboration between Involve and the NHS Centre for Involvement containing new thinking and analysis from leading thinkers on patient and public involvement in health.
Post Party Politics An anthology outlining key challenges in reconnecting people and institutions in the 21st century.
Public participation
Public participation is a political principle or practice, and may also be recognised as a right . The terms public participation may be used interchangeably with the concept or practice of stakeholder engagement and/or popular participation.Generally public participation seeks and facilitates the...
.
Background
Involve is based in Central LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with Simon Burall as Director and is governed by a board chaired by Ian Christie and including Geoff Mulgan
Geoff Mulgan
Geoff Mulgan is Chief Executive of the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts and Visiting Professor at University College, London, the London School of Economics and the University of Melbourne...
amongst the trustees.Involve was founded in 2004 by Richard Wilson to determine how new forms of public participation
Public participation
Public participation is a political principle or practice, and may also be recognised as a right . The terms public participation may be used interchangeably with the concept or practice of stakeholder engagement and/or popular participation.Generally public participation seeks and facilitates the...
can strengthen democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in Britain and elsewhere.
Involve has twin objectives of:
- Advancing education for the public benefit in methods and processes of public participation and democratic practice and
- Promoting good citizenship for the public benefit by encouraging and facilitating participation by the public in democratic and decision making processes with an intended outcome of enabling people to develop their capacities, help meet their needs and participate more fully in society.
Activities
Involve organises its work around five work strands:- Unleashing citizen participation -Unlocking the energy of citizens for positive change
- Citizen participation in challenging issues -Collaborative solutions for problems with no easy answer
- Embedding public engagement in government -Putting citizens at the heart of the institutions of government
- Public engagement with fewer resources -Involving citizens for more efficient and effective decisions
- Promoting good practice -Understanding what works and inspiring innovation
Involve receives core funding from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is a philanthropic left-of-centre trust that chiefly supports work undertaken in the UK, Ireland and South Africa...
and has worked with a wide range of organisations including the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, Scottish Government, The Welsh Assembly, the Turkish State Planning Organisation, OECD, European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, the Department for Communities and Local Government
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...
and the Ministry of Justice.
Involve also works closely with local government, the devolved administrations and the voluntary sector to create more meaningful connections between communities and government.
Involve’s focus is on public participation
Participation (decision making)
Participation in social science refers to different mechanisms for the public to express opinions - and ideally exert influence - regarding political, economic, management or other social decisions. Participatory decision making can take place along any realm of human social activity, including...
across a variety of sectors, including eParticipation
E-participation
e-participation is the generally accepted term referring to "ICT-supported participation in processes involved in government and governance". Processes may concern administration, service delivery, decision making and policy making...
, Youth participation
Youth participation
Youth participation is the active engagement of young people throughout their communities. It is often used as a short-hand for youth participation in any many forms, including decision-making, sports, schools and any activity where young people are not historically engaged.-Coinage:Youth...
, Patient and Public Involvement in health, large group facilitation
Facilitation
The term facilitation is broadly used to describe any activity which makes tasks for others easy. For example:* Facilitation is used in business and organizational settings to ensure the designing and running of successful meetings....
and deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy is a form of democracy in which public deliberation is central to legitimate lawmaking. It adopts elements of both consensus decision-making and majority rule. Deliberative democracy differs from traditional democratic theory in that authentic deliberation, not mere...
.
Key Publications
People and Participation– Involve’s flagship publication, providing a comprehensive overview of what participation is and why it is done. It analyses a wide variety of popular methods for participation and provides case studies.Making a Difference – This guide to evaluating public participation is intended to help those involved in planning, organising or funding these activities to understand the different factors involved in creating effective public participation.
Democratic Technologies? – This report documents the progress of six projects that have sought to engage the public in discussions about the governance and development of nanotechnologies.
Healthy Democracy This is a collaboration between Involve and the NHS Centre for Involvement containing new thinking and analysis from leading thinkers on patient and public involvement in health.
Post Party Politics An anthology outlining key challenges in reconnecting people and institutions in the 21st century.