Involve (think tank)

The Involve Foundation (known as Involve) is a leading UK based, not-for-profit organisation which focuses on public participation.

Background

Involve was founded in 2004 by its current director Richard Wilson to determine how new forms of public participation can strengthen democracy in Britain and elsewhere. Involve has its offices in Central London and is governed by a board chaired by Geoff Mulgan and including members from Ipsos MORI, the new economics foundation and Harvard University.

Involve has twin objectives of determining how new forms of public participation can:

1. Strengthen and improve democratic practice, and

2. Help tackle some of the great challenges of the 21st century.

Activities

Involve is non-hierarchical in structure and organises its work around 4 streams:

* Advocacy - making the case for genuine citizen empowerment;
* New thinking - improving understanding of what works;
* Better practice - supporting institutions and citizens;
* Networking - bringing members of the participation and empowerment field together.

Involve receives its core funding from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and has worked with a wide range of organisations, including the Home Office, Scottish Government, OECD, European Commission, the BBC, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Justice.

Involve also works closely with local government, the devolved administrations and the voluntary sector to create more meaningful connections between communities and government.

Involve’s focus is on public participation across a variety of sectors, including eParticipation, Youth participation, Patient and Public Involvement in health, large group facilitation and deliberative democracy.

Key Publications

[http://83.223.102.125/involvenew/mt/archives/blog_37/People%20and%20Participation%20final.pdf People and Participation] – Involve’s flagship publication, providing a comprehensive overview of what participation is and why it is done. It analyses a wide variety of popular methods for participation and provides case studies.

[http://www.involve.org.uk/evaluation/ Making a Difference] – This guide to evaluating public participation is intended to help those involved in planning, organising or funding these activities to understand the different factors involved in creating effective public participation.

[http://83.223.102.125/involvenew/mt/archives/blog_37/Democratic%20Technologies.pdf Democratic Technologies?] – This report documents the progress of six projects that have sought to engage the public in discussions about the governance and development of nanotechnologies.

[http://83.223.102.125/involvenew/mt/archives/blog_37/Healthy_Democracy/Healthy_Democracy.pdf Healthy Democracy] This is a collaboration between Involve and the NHS Centre for Involvement containing new thinking and analysis from leading thinkers on patient and public involvement in health.

[http://83.223.102.125/involvenew/mt/archives/blog_37/PostPartyPolitics.pdf Post Party Politics] An anthology outlining key challenges in reconnecting people and institutions in the 21st century.

ee also

*List of think tanks in the United Kingdom

External links

* [http://www.involve.org.uk Involve]
* [http://www.peopleandparticipation.net Involve guide to public participation]