Co-production: Do we know what it is and what it achieves?

Guest blogger Elinor Findlay, Office of the Chief Social Policy Adviser, Scottish Government, discusses our understanding of 'co-production', an increasingly popular term used in policy design and in response to the challenges associated with public sector reform. But, what is it? What does it mean for how services are designed and delivered? And, what does it mean for people and communities, and how they engage with each other and with services? And – an important question for me as a researcher – what evidence is there of its benefits and impact?

Can we tackle poverty by changing how we talk about it?

Dr Hayley Bennett, Research Associate at What Works Scotland, discusses the Poverty Alliance’s campaign to address the stigma of poverty.

Closing the commissioning gap: Supporting community and social enterprise through participatory budgeting

Guest blogger Jez Hall, from PB Partners, discusses the potential role of participatory budgeting in future community service provision. 

Asset Based Community Development: Focusing on what matters.

Guest blogger Cormac Russell, Managing Director of Nurture Development, Faculty member of the ABCD Institute and Director of ABCD Europe, continues the discussion on asset-based community development, initiated by an earlier blog