Democratic devolution. an ethnographic study of a ‘whole-of-society approach’ to tackling homelessness in Greater Manchester

Knowles, B

Abstract

This thesis explores the Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network (GMHAN) as a case study in the development of social policymaking in a newly devolved city region. Drawing on eighteen months of insider ethnography and a series of interviews with network members. I examine how the GMHAN created space for the inclusion of Greater Manchester citizens in the design of policy in a newly devolved city region or ‘democratic devolution’.

The main research question looks at how community-led policy design methods such as community development are introduced, supported and sustained within a newly devolved UK local government context. With the aim to create applicable findings for other devolved contexts and to show how tangible policy can be borne out of civil society action. Through insider ethnographic research, interviews and participant observation, I explore gaps in understanding concerning the deployment of community-led policy design methods and create a picture of how successful the GMHAN was as a forum for transversal community development and policymaking.

I argue that the GMHAN was a successful example of an inclusive forum for policymaking, solidarity and influence, but was not always as successful in its attempts to import transversal community development. My theoretical framework developed from this research proposes that political spaces such as the GMHAN (Arendt, 1951, 1958), transversal politics (Yuval Davis, 1997) and radical community development (Ledwith, 2011, Friere, 1968 and Gaventa, 1980) are all necessary to form a truly ‘whole-of-society approach’ to democratic devolution; enabling the creation and enactment of policy on issues of social justice.

Citation

Knowles, B. Democratic devolution. an ethnographic study of a ‘whole-of-society approach’ to tackling homelessness in Greater Manchester. (Dissertation). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Dissertation
• Deposit Date: Apr 12, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 12, 2023
• Award Date: Jun 19, 2022