Papers by Johnston Birchall
Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 2002
... that have been suggested as alternatives: a non-pro¢t trust or company, a public interest com... more ... that have been suggested as alternatives: a non-pro¢t trust or company, a public interest company ... that suggests consumer ownership of water would be less costly than investor-ownership, providing there are no large con£icts of interest between di¡erent types of consumer ...
Review of Social Economy, 2011
This article provides a systematic descriptive and analytical framework for understanding the com... more This article provides a systematic descriptive and analytical framework for understanding the comparative advantages of member-owned businesses (MOBs) such as cooperatives, mutuals, and economic associations. First, it provides a short description of two main ownership types—consumer and producer—then it provides a taxonomy of all the main sub-types. An overview of the literature on comparative advantage follows. The three elements of
Review of Social Economy, 2012
This article provides a systematic descriptive and analytical framework for understanding the com... more This article provides a systematic descriptive and analytical framework for understanding the comparative advantages of member-owned businesses (MOBs) such as cooperatives, mutuals, and economic associations. First, it provides a short description of two main ownership types—consumer and producer—then it provides a taxonomy of all the main sub-types. An overview of the literature on comparative advantage follows. The three elements of
Journal of Socio-economics, 2008
Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 2010
ABSTRACT**: This article reports on findings from a three year study of co-operatives in Sri Lank... more ABSTRACT**: This article reports on findings from a three year study of co-operatives in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. The article asks three questions: why do co-operative sectors need reforming; what is the co-operative reform process; and why has reform succeeded in some countries but not others? It provides a short history of co-operatives in three phases: the colonial period, the post-colonial nationalist period and the period of market liberalisation. It shows that the control exercised by colonial governments was deepened under nationalist governments, with co-operatives becoming parastatals. Liberalisation brought a sustained attempt by international agencies to reassert the distinctive nature of co-operatives as member-owned businesses. However, co-ops were ill-prepared to adjust to a competitive market and the lifting of government regulation; many failed, some were corrupted, while a few became truly member-controlled. The article draws on documentary analysis and key informant interviews to provide accounts of the reform process in Tanzania and Sri Lanka. It finds that the process is incomplete and often contested.
Social Policy & Administration, 2005
Participation has emerged as a key theme for social policy and administration in the UK. Public s... more Participation has emerged as a key theme for social policy and administration in the UK. Public service providers are often keen to consult users, and users themselves want to make their voices heard. Despite this, however, there is a perennial problem in getting people to participate, and participation is often better supported in principle than in practice. The motivations of key actors are crucial, but are often poorly understood. This article attempts to build a more detailed understanding of the motivations to participate of one key group: service users. Using Mutual Incentives Theory, it shows the extent to which users are motivated by individualistic or collectivistic concerns. These “demand side” factors are then combined with others on the “supply side” in a model we call the “participation chain”. This model provides a systematic framework for understanding what makes public service users participate, and seeks to demonstrate that, while the question of participation requires a combination of answers, it is a combination that can be predicted, planned for and acted upon.
Modern public services demand greater awareness of who they are trying to serve. Managing relatio... more Modern public services demand greater awareness of who they are trying to serve. Managing relationships in the service of the public therefore requires the ability to 'tune in' to who public service users are, and what they are trying to say. This article examines the nature of the relationships between service users and providers through various mechanisms of voice. It suggests that if the user voice is to be recognised and acknowledged, a range of channels should be provided that cater for the values, norms and attitudes of a differentiated user constituency. Beyond this, however, it suggests that the simple provision of a range of channels is insufficient. Resistance to hearing the user voice through one or other of these channels can result in counterproductive 'culture clashes' and/or withdrawal. The article argues that this should be avoided through a combination of appropriate institutional design and the commitment of institutional effort to ensure that service cultures fit better with users' expectations.
Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 2004
This article reports the findings of a project entitled 'The participation of members in mutual b... more This article reports the findings of a project entitled 'The participation of members in mutual businesses'. A previous project developed a theoretical model of what makes people participate, focusing on the participation of public service users in council housing and social care services. The current project builds on this work, applying the 'mutual incentives model' to a population sample of area committee members and a random sample of non-participant members of a very large UK consumer co-operative, the Co-operative Group. Two arguments are presented as to why such research is needed. First, member participation in co-operative and mutual businesses is becoming an important issue both for this sector and more generally for public policy. Second, a comparison between a public services setting and a co-operative setting enables us to extend and further test the theoretical model. Two main features of the model are outlined: a 'mutual incentives theory' that goes beyond other models to combine individualistic and collectivistic motivations, and the 'participation chain', a synthesis of existing knowledge that joins motivations to * This article is based on the final report to the Economic and Social Research Council of a project entitled 'The participation of members in the governance of mutual businesses: application of a motivational model', project no: R000223846. We are grateful to the ESRC for financial support.
Housing Studies, 2007
... 19. Clary, E. and Snyder, M. 2002. ... 225). This leads to the proposal of a general model of... more ... 19. Clary, E. and Snyder, M. 2002. ... 225). This leads to the proposal of a general model of motivations to participate, which has been termed the 'Participation Chain' (Simmons & Birchall, 200570. Simmons, R. and Birchall, J. 2005. ...
Policy and Politics, 2007
ABSTRACT The term 'citizen governance' (CG) is currently attracting attention in ... more ABSTRACT The term 'citizen governance' (CG) is currently attracting attention in policy circles. Yet there is no universally agreed definition,and the term is used in different ways. This article identifies key tensions between citizen governors' 'representation' and 'steering' roles, and presents a framework that attempts to make these tensions more explicit. Case study evidence suggests that the effectiveness of CG structures is contextual rather than universalistic, and that different sets of assumptions are often conflated in governance. We argue that if inclusivity in policy making is a genuine goal, these assumptions need to be made more explicit and accommodated in structures that work.
Abstract§: This article reports the findings of a project entitled ‘The participation of members ... more Abstract§: This article reports the findings of a project entitled ‘The participation of members in mutual businesses’. A previous project developed a theoretical model of what makes people participate, focusing on the participation of public service users in council housing and social care services. The current project builds on this work, applying the ‘mutual incentives model’ to a population sample of area committee members and a random sample of non-participant members of a very large UK consumer co-operative, the Co-operative Group. Two arguments are presented as to why such research is needed. First, member participation in co-operative and mutual businesses is becoming an important issue both for this sector and more generally for public policy. Second, a comparison between a public services setting and a co-operative setting enables us to extend and further test the theoretical model. Two main features of the model are outlined: a ‘mutual incentives theory’ that goes beyond other models to combine individualistic and collectivistic motivations, and the ‘participation chain’, a synthesis of existing knowledge that joins motivations to three ‘links’ that we call ‘resources’, ‘mobilization’ and ‘dynamics’. The article then summarizes the project methodology, and reports the main findings. As in the public services project, on the ‘demand’ side, collectivistic incentives prove to be dominant over individualistic, but with some individual ‘internal’ benefits also being important. On the ‘supply’ side, skills derived from previous experience were important, as were a positive evaluation of opportunities to participate, and recruitment through existing networks. We then compare the findings to those from the public service users and from a regional co-operative society; Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op. Collective motivations are dominant in all three datasets, but are shown to vary in interesting ways that have important implications for member participation strategies.
Review of Social Economy, 2004
This article focuses on the key question for co-operatives and mutuals of whether they can contin... more This article focuses on the key question for co-operatives and mutuals of whether they can continue to be genuine member-owned and controlled businesses once they become very large. After providing a commentary on current attempts to revitalise member democracy in the UK consumer co-operative sector, it outlines the "mutual incentives model" developed by the authors to explain what motivates people to participate. The main part of the article then provides a formative evaluation of one very large co-operative society, the Co-operative Group. Drawing on a recent project carried out with funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, and in partnership with the UK Co-operative College, it discusses findings from datasets of 450 area committee members and a random sample of non-active members. The findings are structured according to the mutual incentives framework, including individualistic and collectivistic incentives, resources and mobilization factors. The conclusion is that the Group is having some success with its member participation strategy despite problems of scale. Steady, incremental improvements are identified that should enable the strategy to succeed, showing that there is no simple correlation between size and democracy.
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Papers by Johnston Birchall