Responsible participation and housing: restoring democratic theory to the scene

Citation

Paddison R, Docherty I & Goodlad R (2008) Responsible participation and housing: restoring democratic theory to the scene. Housing Studies, 23 (1), pp. 129-147. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673030701731274

Abstract
Tensions between individual liberty and collective social justice characterise many advanced liberal societies. These tensions are reflected in the challenges posed for representative democracy both by participatory democratic practices and by the current emphasis on (so-called) responsible participation. Based on the example of 'community' housing associations in Scotland, this paper explores these tensions. It is argued that the critique of responsibility may have been over-stated, that, in particular, 'community' housing associations offer the basis for relatively more inclusive and effective processes of decision making than council housing, which relies on the traditional processes and institutions of representative local government for its legitimacy.

Keywords
Participatory democracy; responsibilisation; community housing; Scotland

Journal
Housing Studies: Volume 23, Issue 1

People

Professor Iain Docherty

Dean of Institute for Advanced Studies