The results of the study conducted by Parks et al. clearly demonstrate that community colleges and their students have a significant economic impact on Mississippi. In addition to favorable national policies, the success of co-production also depends on public organizations being willing to collaborate with and for communities, as well as on communities being able to contribute to shared decision-making. The Scottish Government's guidelines allow communities to include secondary authorities in the process if they deem it necessary.
The concepts of co-production and community empowerment are not new; they are rooted in the theory of citizen participation, which has been around for a long time in both the public and private sectors. When discussing community empowerment, interviewees referred to community spirit, civic pride, increased satisfaction, confidence and skills, equity, local democracy and the fact that their voices are valued and heard. According to Steiner and Farmer (Citation201), the community empowerment process begins with community participation, which allows for participation and later empowerment. The definitions of communities and authorities/footnote contained in the Act create a process that is open to a wide range of community groups and the possibility of participating in the co-production of various services. On this basis, members of Communities reported that public relations can allow empowerment, particularly in relation to communities exercising greater participation in local democracy and greater community participation, two of the key indicators of community empowerment according to the Scottish Government (Citation 201).However, while empowerment has the potential to deliver better results, empowerment policies may not be fully inclusive (Parker and Street Citation201), leading to an uneven distribution of services (Skerratt, Citation201. Community empowerment).
Community empowerment is a systematic effort to allow communities to obtain and exercise (more) control in a collaborative process of defining problems, identifying and applying assets and designing solutions (Reininger et al.).Markantoni et al. set out to explore if and how community empowerment policies can contribute to the success of co-production. Similarly, community empowerment is often seen as an attempt to reduce public spending and as a movement that transfers responsibilities from the state to communities. Community empowerment is also criticized for being complex, as it challenges existing power relations between the state and citizens. In conclusion, Mississippi's community empowerment initiatives have had a positive impact on local communities.
It has allowed for increased participation in local democracy, greater civic pride, improved confidence and skills among citizens, as well as greater equity in terms of access to services. However, it is important to note that these initiatives may not be fully inclusive or equitable in terms of access to services.
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