Complexity and Community Context: Learning from the Evaluation Design of a National Community Empowerment Programme

Jane South, Daniel Button, Annie Quick, Anne-Marie Bagnall, Joanne Trigwell, Jenny Woodward, Susan Coan and Kris Southby
Additional contact information
Jane South: Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK
Daniel Button: New Economics Foundation, London SE1 7HB, UK
Annie Quick: New Economics Foundation, London SE1 7HB, UK
Anne-Marie Bagnall: Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK
Joanne Trigwell: Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK
Jenny Woodward: Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK
Susan Coan: Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK
Kris Southby: Centre for Health Promotion Research, School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Community empowerment interventions, which aim to build greater individual and community control over health, are shaped by the community systems in which they are implemented. Drawing on complex systems thinking in public health research, this paper discusses the evaluation approach used for a UK community empowerment programme focused on disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It explores design choices and the tension between the overall enquiry questions, which were based on a programme theory of change, and the varied dynamic socio-cultural contexts in intervention communities. The paper concludes that the complexity of community systems needs to be accounted for through in-depth case studies that incorporate community perspectives.

Keywords: empowerment; community-based research; evaluation; case studies; complexity; neighbourhood deprivation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/1/91/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/1/91/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2019:i:1:p:91-:d:300606

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().