Overview

Many people want to help bring about changes in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities. Leaders and scholars of change efforts are likewise eager for insights into what makes some organizations and coalitions capable of building and exercising power. Why are some groups successful in making changes in policies and systems and in sustaining their momentum over time, while others struggle or never really get off the ground? With Community Power and Empowerment, Brian D. Christens brings the most comprehensive analysis of empowerment theory yet conducted to bear on these questions, taking aim at many of the longstanding weaknesses and ambiguities of empowerment theory, research, and practice. For example, one major hindrance is that most notions of empowerment have not been coherently connected with community power. In addition, research has emphasized psychological aspects of empowerment over organizational processes, and has neglected community empowerment processes to an even greater extent. By linking empowerment and community power, Christens constructs a holistic framework for assessing and comparing community-driven change efforts. This book offers new guidance for inquiries into outcomes and impacts of empowerment processes on health and well-being, providing a resource for researchers, organizational leaders, practitioners, and anyone interested in collective action for change.

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9780190605605

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Reviews

The research that Brian Christens and his colleagues have done on what brings people into social change, keeps them involved, and propels them to leadership has profound implications for democracy. Community Power and Empowerment is a roadmap for building better organizations. This is rigorous scholarship with practical wisdom for anyone involved in promoting civic participation and political change. It's long past time that these insights into the ingredients that make some organizations more successful than others were available to a wider audience. -- Gordon Whitman, author of Stand Up! How to Get Involved, Speak Out, and Win in World on Fire This book is an indispensable reference for anyone working in community development. For public and community health professionals in particular, it is increasingly clear that community leadership is essential for addressing the most pressing issues affecting population health. In this rigorous text, Professor Christens offers the theoretical foundations for community empowerment work. In addition, the book offers concrete research and action plans for practitioners interested in working with communities empowered to identify local solutions to reduce inequities and increase social justice and population well-being. -- F. Javier Nieto, MD, PhD, MPH, Dean and Professor, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University Provides a comprehensive and insightful examination of empowerment and of how best to use social power in order to effectively promote transformative and sustained change for equity and social justice purposes. Students, scholars, community leaders and activists, among others, will benefit from this inspiring and thoughtful work. -- London School of Economics Review of Books

Author Information

Brian D. Christens is Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University. He studies processes that enhance people's and organizations' ability to take action to alter power structures and benefit their communities.

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