Does “civic engagement” work?: civic engagement of older people and their ‘embeddedness’ in a society in the United Kingdom

Tobari, Eime (2011) Does “civic engagement” work?: civic engagement of older people and their ‘embeddedness’ in a society in the United Kingdom. PhD thesis, University of Greenwich.

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Abstract

This study investigates how UK policies and initiatives promoting civic engagement of older people impact their ‘embeddedness.’ ‘Embeddedness,’ which has been my research
theme continuously for the past ten years, describes intricate dynamic relationships between an individual and his/her physical and socio-cultural environments. The four
research objectives were: 1) to define the concept of civic engagement in relation to ‘embeddedness’; 2) to review and analyse UK policies and initiatives promoting civic engagement of older people; 3) to analyse older people’s perceptions and experiences of civic engagement in civic engagement practices; 4) to examine the effectiveness of
UK civic engagement initiatives on older people’s perceptions and experiences of civic engagement and their 'embeddedness’ by discussing differences and overlaps between the concept, policies and initiatives and perceptions and experiences of civic engagement. I also discuss how this study links Sociology and Architecture around the theme of the ‘embeddedness.’

By means of literature reviews, semi-structured informant interviews and participant observation, the subject is tackled both theoretically and empirically. The study analyses the reality of civic engagement focusing on the London Borough of Greenwich as a case study using ‘civic engagement’ as a multi-dimensional and multi-layered concept involving civil, political, social and cultural rights and responsibilities. The study suggests key values for civic engagement and ‘embeddedness’ and discusses them to speculate on the future of civic engagement and the ‘embeddedness’ of older people. The study argues that although in reality classic bureaucratic tendencies may undermine an organisation’s own policies promoting civic engagement, as happened in Greenwich, this is not inevitable if all the parties can understand the dynamic and transactional interaction mechanisms as and when individuals build up social networks within and beyond such organisations.

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