Philanthropy UK offers a useful round-up of reactions to the initiatives in the Paper, including from organisations such as the Centre for Giving and Philanthropy (CGAP) and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Also worth reading is the blog post  White Giving Paper: good ideas but no game changers by James Allen, Policy Manager, at NCVO:

“The White Paper is full of ideas, many of them good ones, but none of them are really “game changers”. Cashpoint giving, for example, has potential. Opening up mobile technology to giving is important too. Also in the white paper is a progress report on important, though not headline grabbing, initiatives around making the Gift Aid system work better and cutting some of the red tape that presents barriers to many charities. Government is to be commended for its taking up of NCVO’s Funding Commission recommendation on the need to support the sector in investing in and modernising its own support mechanisms – this money is important and will make a difference. There is a gap, however, between the desire to see a new culture of giving and the proposed mechanisms to achieve it…”

To read the full post.

In the first I argued that the most effective and appropriate way for government to encourage participation will only be worked out through experimentation, discussion and learning. I believe that Pathways through Participation will make an important contribution towards this process by informing our understanding of how and why people participate in their local communities and beyond, what makes them get active and express their views, what connects their involvements, and what keeps them from participating.

In the second I explore pledgebanking as a way of encouraging participation, looking specifically at the example of Barnet Council’s recently launched Pledgebank. I give a number of reasons I’m attracted to the idea, but also pose some questions and risks.

Have a read and let me know what you think by posting a comment.

Download it for free here

The Pathways team and the partnering organisations have been monitoring the developments and debates around the Big Society with interest, and it seems logical that for such a concept to work and be sustained, it is crucial for politicians and practitioners to have a good understanding of how and why individuals involve themselves in various forms of participation throughout their lives.

The new government emphasises how one of the key principles of Building the Big Society is to encourage people to take an active role in their communities, as well as encourage charitable giving and philanthropy. Such forms of participation can manifest themselves in very different ways, so thorough and insightful research is needed to explore the connections and patterns between different participatory activities, something that the Pathways project will also begin to explore as we go into the in-depth interview phase of the project.

The main report can be dowloaded in the CLG website. Alongside the main report, a summary and an annex (with measures of civic health for each upper tier and unitary authority in England) have also been produced.

In a statement, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said that the index would track the civic health of the nation, by bringing together information at the national, regional and local levels in a single report. It would include information on levels of citizen trust in public institutions and each other; levels of civic engagement and volunteering; as well as perceptions of influence, belonging and cohesion. The information will come from the DCLG’s Citizenship Survey, the Audit of Political Engagement, the National Survey of Third Sector Organisations; the Place Survey and other sources.

The plans will be put forward by the thinktank Demos, who have just published ‘Service Nation’ which explores civic service across an individual’s life.