Joseph Rowntree Foundation presents…
From rethinking forms of ownereship to cultural competence
David Cameron has proclaimed his vision for the ‘Big Society’ at a time when deep cuts in many areas of public spending are on the horizon. They are cuts that will have severe consequences on the quality of life of millions. Events of the past few years have eroded old confidences and many people have questioned the validity of the ‘private market’ model. It is a time of enormous challenge and yet also one of opportunity. The possibilities, for example, of different forms of ownership are being looked at with a fresh eye. So it is extremely timely that a valuable and thoughtful review of community and mutual ownership, conducted by researchers at the Institute of Education in London, and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), has just been published. Stephen Thake, advisor to the JRF’s community assets programme, said at the launch of the JRF publication: ‘History tells us that those in power have not protected the interests of co-ops and mutuals. We cannot take the ability of the community sector to thrive for granted. I think this needs to be written into the constitution – a bill of rights for the community sector so it can thrive in the twenty-first century.’ See www.jrf.org.uk/ for further information.
Rethinking forms of ownership
New forms of mutual and community ownership can play a significant part in addressing today’s economic and environmental needs, according to researchers based at the Institute of Education in the University of London. Their report, commissioned by JRF, considers what can be learnt for the future from the forms that mutual ownership has taken in the past.
The researchers found that it is particularly relevant for finance, rural and urban development, food, housing, welfare services and international development.
But they warn against expecting changes ‘overnight’ and reject attempts to ‘force the adoption of historical models’. They point out that historically mutual ownership was ‘built up over a long time and depended upon the growth of popular participation and associated feelings of ownership’.
The authors suggest that a set of values could be agreed that would guide the development of mutual ownership and avoid its image as a marginal or temporary approach. These could include independence, autonomy, self-control and democracy.
Acceptable standard of living costs rise faster than inflation
The cost of an acceptable standard of living has risen by thirty-eight per cent in the last decade, despite an inflation rate of only twenty-eight per cent. This conclusion was reached by researchers from Loughborough University commissioned by the JRF. They suggest that official inflation figures do not take account of the growing cost of food and transport.
The researchers surveyed a cross-section of the public to discover what they consider to be a ‘socially acceptable standard of living’. They say that this standard involves the means ‘to participate fully in society rather than being excluded’. As such, it is about more than the basics such as food and shelter.
According to the new figures, a single person in the UK needs to earn at least £14,400 per year before tax to afford this minimum standard. A couple with two children needs £29,200.
The researchers are critical of the government’s decision to freeze tax allowances in 2010 and suggests that their increase in 2011 could for many people be cancelled out by other changes. They point out that low-income households are especially vulnerable to inflation, particularly when food prices rise faster than others.
‘Cultural competence’ needed in alcohol addiction services
Alcohol addiction services are frequently failing to understand the religious and cultural backgrounds of their clients, say researchers from Middlesex University. They have called for greater ‘cultural competence’ within such services in a report published by JRF, Ethnicity and alcohol: a review of the UK literature.
They point to evidence that white people with alcohol problems seem on balance more likely to seek help and treatment than members of certain ethnic groups with similar problems. And they raised concern that individuals from groups in which alcohol is proscribed may have greater worries about being open about addiction.
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