At a recent RSA lecture, Jesse Norman MP, the man who has been brave enough to write an entire (and fairly well received) book of the Big Society agenda, gave a potted version of his publication. In response, both panel and audience members levelled the charge at Norman that his book, while persuasive, is both written by a politician, and for politicians, and as such is likely to have little sway or currency with the public at large.

The book contextualises the Big Society in a history of social and political thought traditions. This goes some way to clarifying the purpose of the agenda for those who are familiar with Hobbes’ Leviathan, and Edmund Burke’s ‘little platoons.’ But it will do little for the average citizen who is more concerned about the quality of life for themselves and their families, than about tracing the development of Conservative social theory.

How will the talk turn into action?

The lecture made me reflect some more on exactly how the Big Society will make the transition between political theory and grass roots change. For a number of reasons, it won’t be the coalition government’s Big Society brand that takes roots within communities and inspires change where it’s needed. Firstly, the Big Society is ensconced in the middle of the debate between the political left and right, and as such will remain inherently unappealing to those with certain political persuasions. But more fundamentally than that, the Big Society vision doesn’t take account of the complex motivators and drivers that make people want to, and crucially feel able to, get involved.

So what are the motivating factors and the psychological drivers that are going to be used to create a new community dynamic? It might be tempting to emphasise the budget cuts, as a backdrop of urgency to motivate new players to come forward and get involved in community provision. But for those who are at pains to stress that the agenda is not a fig leaf for cuts,  this is likely to be a short sighted move, and could limit the longevity of any success. If community involvement is tied to the short term, short-fall in public finance, then what scope is there for the agenda’s aim of a permanent shift in the social contract between state and citizen?

Longer-term motivators for community involvement

So instead we have to identify and tap into longer-term motivators for community involvement. Important intelligence on these motivating factors has been provided by the NCVO’s Pathways through Participation, which is exploring how and why people get involved and stay involved in different forms of participation over the course of their lives. Is personal interest in a cause or issue a pre-requisite for participation? And what types of reward are sufficient to ensure sustained participation? The project’s briefing paper on motivations for participation identifies altruism, recognition and personal development as some of the key drivers for individuals to take up and continue in a participatory role, and for the full results of their case study research, we’ll have to wait until next year.

But national research can’t give us the full picture. It’ll be necessary to leverage the particular concerns, and local allegiances of a community if we are to shape meaningful opportunities for participation. As part of OPM’s Big Society ‘hothouse’ programme, supporting five local authorities to develop new initiatives for community involvement, we will be looking at the use of “community communicators”. These are key individuals who can spread information amongst their social networks about the value of and the entry points to community involvement and participation. 

My suspicion is that we still have a lot to learn from new initiatives like the above, about how best to involve people at this challenging time. What is clear is that politicians’ debates over the history and validity of the Big Society idea will not be enough to instil a readiness and willing for a new collective responsibility – that will need a far more nuanced, clever and targeted campaign for change. 

By Sarah Holloway, OPM senior researcher