Repository
A curated and searchable collection of community-related research reports, case studies and publications
Community ownership: A better form of business 2024
Published: 2024
‘A Better Form of Business’ is a series of research reports on community-owned businesses that have been completed annually by the Plunkett Foundation since 2011. The reports offer evidence on the needs and health of the community business sector, trends in growth and services, and the important social, economic and environmental impact tha…
Healthy Universities, People and Places: Exploring institutions’ potential impact on student, staff and community wellbeing
Published: 2024
Covering frameworks for ‘healthy universities’, partnerships with health networks, mental health support, and community health promotion, this review explores how universities can contribute to the health and wellbeing of their students, staff, and local communities.
This is one of four evidence reviews which explore the economic and soci…
Shaping Sustainable Universities: Examining the role of civic universities in contributing to a just transition to net zero
Published: 2024
Exploring how universities can contribute to a just transition to net zero carbon emissions, this review outlines key areas for university climate impact: reducing emissions, sharing knowledge for sustainability, and supporting local initiatives.
This is one of four evidence reviews which explore the economic and social impact of universities …
Society, Culture and Locally-Connected Universities: Exploring institutions’ social and cultural contributions to their local place
Published: 2024
Examining universities’ social and cultural contributions to their communities, this evidence review discusses universities as ‘place-makers’, bridging divides, the impacts of student volunteering, and how universities are supporting local arts and culture.
This is one of four evidence reviews which explore the economic and social impact…
Universities and ‘Economic Placemaking’: Assessing the current and potential economic impact of universities on their places
Published: 2024
Delving into universities’ economic impact on their local areas, this review highlights universities as drivers of local employment and spending, the importance of supporting social mobility and graduate retention, how to foster innovation, and reviews alternative economic paradigms.
This is one of four evidence reviews which explore the ec…
Community Ownership: A Way Forward for Wales
Published: 2024
This report evidences community needs and evaluates existing policies and legislation in Scotland and England, identifying strengths and weaknesses to provide lessons for future “community rights” in Wales. This research was commissioned and funded by Building Communities Trust (BCT) and undertaken by Plunkett Foundation.
Our journey to net zero: Understanding household and community participation in the UK’s transition to a greener future
Published: 2024
Our new report warns the government’s existing net zero transition policies are likely to make the poor poorer, and push struggling communities further into deprivation and exclusion.
This research – which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and developed with the University of Leeds, University of York and Trinity College Dublin – f…
The Civic Journey: introducing the idea
Published: 2023
The Civic Journey is a transformational two-year youth-led programme that was launched in September 2021. Against a backdrop of increasing evidence concerning social polarisation and community fragmentation, the programme focuses on illuminating and unleashing the civic potential of young people to reinvigorate communities, identify innovative …
Lessons in community-led housing
Published: 2023
In 2017 Power to Change launched its Homes in Community Hands programme, to support community led housing (CLH). Focusing on five urban areas across England, the programme has helped plan and develop individual housing projects, develop enabler organisations, and capitalise other investment and funding mechanisms. These three reports summarise …
Young People in Community Business: A legacy report from the #iwill programme
Published: 2023
This report is the legacy of the #iwill project, funded by the Dulverton Trust in partnership with the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport), and delivered by the Plunkett Foundation from 2022 to 2023 – to help community businesses engage, involve and …
Five years of Empowering Places: Evaluation report
Published: 2023
Empowering Places was designed by Power to Change as an experiment to explore what happens when local anchor organisations are supported to catalyse community businesses in deprived communities in England.
This evaluation report is the final in a series of six reports and several short
ethnographic films. The interim reports took a formative a…
Conceptualising socially inclusive environmental policy: a just transition to Net Zero
Published: 2023
The policy area addressing the climate crisis in the UK, ‘Net Zero’, will affect many aspects of people’s everyday life. Given that policy builds from where we are now, which for some (post austerity, and mid cost of living crisis) means in financial crisis, there is work to be done in enabling a socially inclusive Net Zero. In this artic…