Exploring resident (Non-) participation in the UK new deal for communities regeneration programme

Current policy responses to low levels of resident participation in urban regeneration schemes may be based on flawed assumptions for the reasons underpinning non-participation amongst certain sections of disadvantaged communities. Ethnographic fieldwork in a New Deal for Communities area demonstrates that some residents actively avoid participation as part of 'survival strategies' that have been developed to cope with long-term multiple disadvantage. Capacity building exercises are unlikely to impact upon participation rates among these individuals and groups. Instead, a more radical approach to social policy provision is called for, that explicitly acknowledges and understands the socio-cultural context within which residents make decisions regarding participation.