Politics, Policy and Citizen Participation in City Governance

Civic Studies, Civic Practices Conference at Tufts July 23-24, 2010

Rebecca Lisi, Candidate for PhD in Political Science, UMass AmherstRebecca Moryl, Candidate for PhD in Public Policy, UMass BostonFelicia Sullivan, Candidate for PhD in Public Policy, UMass Boston

Plan for this session

Introduction to our background and research interests (30 minutes) Background on gateway cities Brief introduction to our areas of research, how

they overlap and the conversation we’ve begun to have around Politics, Policy and Citizen Participation in City Governance

Participatory discussion (60 minutes)

Gateway Cities in Massachusetts

Defined as traditional mill cities with populations of greater than 35,000 and significant levels of poverty. The cities include:

Brockton Lowell Fall River New Bedford Fitchburg Pittsfield Haverhill Springfield Holyoke Worcester Lawrence

*Research interests presented here are in the cities in bold plus the city of Leominster.

Locating our research

Holyoke 38,320

Lowell98,766Leominster

42,047

Worcester 163,637

Pittsfield 45,058

Population data from the ACS 2006-2008

Gateway Cities overviewAccording to a 2007 report by MassINC,

Gateway Cities:

lost more than 11,000 jobs or 3 percent of their job base since 1970;

are home to 30 percent of all Massachusetts residents living below the poverty line, even though they account for only 15 percent of the state’s population; and

have low educational attainment levels with just 16.5 percent of residents possessing a four-year college degree.

Gateway Cities basic demographicsRace / Ethnicity (percentage of population)

Immigration / Language (percentage of population)

MA Holyoke

Leominster

Lowell Pittsfield

Worcester

Asian 4.8 1.4 2.7 17.9 1.4 5.4

Black 6.1 2.3 1.4 6.0 4.2 9.0

White 82.7 89.4 87.0 62.5 90.3 78.5

Latino 8.3 46.1 10.5 15.1 3.5 19.3

MA Holyoke

Leominster

Lowell Pittsfield

Worcester

Foreign-born

14.2 12.5 12.7 24.1 5.2 19.9

No English in the home

20.5 44.7 -- 42.5 -- 33.5

Gateway Cities StatsPoverty / Employment (percentage of population)

Educational Attainment (percentage of population)

MA Holyoke Leominster

Lowell

Pittsfield

Worcester

Individuals below poverty

10.0

29.8 10.9 17.5 16.2 17.5

In labor force

67.7

56.1 66.7 56.6 64.4 63.6

MA Holyoke Leominster

Lowell

Pittsfield

Worcester

BA or greater

37.7

22.1 21.9 22 25.1 28.2

HS or greater

88.4

76.9 86.3 77.7 88.8 83.7

Initial questions:Within the city framework….. How do we define community?

Is there such a thing as a collective voice? or of desired community outcomes?

Any discussion from day one sessions that can shed light on this?

Given the particulars of the city context, what obstacles and opportunities exist for citizen participation in community?

Initial questions:Within the city framework…..

At the city level, how do we define / observe engagement? Any discussions in prior sessions that can shed

light on this?

Delving Deeper:Our experiences and understandings  Specific examples of ways in which government

agencies and / or nonprofit or community organizations have sought to facilitate citizen engagement and participation Specific successes, structures, and ingredients for

success? Specific challenges or obstacles

Broadly, what do you see are the ingredients for successfully facilitating citizen engagement? If you consider yourself engaged in your community, what made you take that step? If not, what would it take for you to get engaged in your community?

Delving Deeper:

Are there ways in which some elements of facilitating participation work better for/with government agencies compared to community groups ? Are there ways in which either are more flexible or constrained? Are there strengths that could come from joint efforts or

partnerships? What is the role of information in building community?

Who generates it? Who controls the flow? Does the type of information matter? Where does responsibility lie for providing? For using?

Regarding research in this area: How do we measure community engagement / participation? How do we measure community preferences? How do we account for differences in preferences and

engagement practices?

Wrapping Up

Can / How can community organizations act as incubators and innovators of citizen participation and bridge links to government agencies?