In addressing what we call the social aspiration gap – that between the world we aspire to and the way in which we act – the RSA is seeking to understand what kind of citizens and communities we need if we are to rise to the challenges we face.  

At the neighbourhood level we believe this means we must be more engaged in local democratic, problem solving, decision-making and service delivery processes. We must ensure that individuals and communities have real say in shaping their future lives and local environments.

To achieve this, citizens must be better informed and able to navigate and understand an increasing complex world – utilising local social networks, technology and social media are key ingredients in achieving this aim. We need to be more other-regarding and willing to take voluntary, collective action to address social problems – understanding the conditions under which more altruistic and voluntary action takes place is more important than ever.

Given current economic conditions and the need to create sustainable communities where more can and must be done with existing (or fewer) resources, this is key to creating more resourceful and self-sufficient communities.

The RSA is interested in constructing more sophisticated, network-based solutions to social problems alongside more traditional, hierarchical interventions. This links to our own ambition to work more like this as an organisation: RSA Networks is exploring new ways of engaging and empowering Fellows to become a dynamic network of social change makers and innovators and supporting them in driving sustainable social change.

RSA Connected Communities will extend this thinking and approach to working in multiply-deprived neighbourhoods. The programme will explore how social capital and social networks can be better understood and used to deliver the communities we want and need. Through action research projects, we will be developing new, participatory methods of mapping and analysing social networks in order to understand:

• how stocks of different forms of social capital are clustered and how social capital flow through networks over time;
• how learning from network theory and analysis in other disciplines could inform social, economic and environmental improvement in communities;
• how social networks can be tapped and grown to build civic capacity;
• the conditions under which a new, organic, bottom-up collectivism may emerge;
• whether participatory methods of mapping, measuring and visualising social networks lead to more inclusive, rich networks in themselves;
• how social capital impact assessment can inform regeneration and planning processes; and
• what social capital strategies for communities might look like.
  

This work is being done up by a joint Research Team of Fellows and staff.

New Cross Gate, South East London – looking at the social capital developed though the New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme, and designing a ‘social capital strategy’ to take forward the regeneration of the area when the NDC grant expires in March 2011.  Within this work we will be exploring social networks of those engaging in Nancy Secchi’s Kinship project.

Knowle West, Bristol – looking at the relationships between digital networks and online participation, and ‘real world’ social capital.  The work will focus around the Knowle West Media Centre, a community organisation who employ digital arts and media to engage the population.

In addition to the planned action-research project with Knowle West Media Centre, there are a range of other initiatives to contribute to digital inclusion. These activities include:

• A paper was commissioned on the social value of digital networks in deprived communities. This evidences the importance of being digitally included, and how it affects social outcomes, outlining the relationship between social and digital exclusion and how being digitally included translates into "real life" inclusion. It includes the policy potential of online networks and the social capital they generate in multiply deprived communities: from issues around access and participation to building "digital capital.
• The RSA and UK online centres will host a seminar at the RSA and online on 20 May 2009 to explore the knowledge gaps around building social capital in deprived communities through online and offline networks. The seminar’s USP will be that it will take social capital and community development as its starting point for exploring the potential of online networks, rather than a technological or political influence agenda.
• This process will generate a small number of tightly focussed research questions for a second stage of the project – the action research study. It is hoped that this seminar will create an account of why we would want to generate "digital capital" and what impact it has on communities’ abilities to make social change happen at a local level.

In supporting the development of social capital in deprived communities using digital media, a key need is to expand the base of skilled people immersed in local community development who can catalyse and support the development of digital inclusion projects. The RSA is developing a new way of working with Fellows to contribute to this. 

The full Connected Communities research proposal will appear on these pages soon.  In order to find out more and to help shape our work and thinking, read and comment on our Connected Communities blog.

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