"As a civil servant in the early 2000's, Public Policy in the Community was my essential guide to the complexities of neighbourhood renewal and social exclusion. Now, as the ravages of austerity and the sunlit uplands of 'levelling up' fade into folk memory, my successors in Whitehall and Town Hall would do well to get their hands on this fully updated edition, with its vital insights into the power and paradoxes of community policy." -- Richard Harries, Caritas Westminster, UK " 'Public Policy in the Community is an essential text outlining the theories, policies and practices of community-based public policy, and is a cornerstone in the literature. This welcome new edition offers a thoroughly updated, accessible and authoritative understanding of how the landscape of community practice and policy has developed. It is written with exceptional clarity, creativity and generosity, and is accompanied with a wealth of helpful figures and boxed examples of concepts, policies and initiatives. The book is grounded in careful attention to theoretical debates and controversies over key concepts such as community, civil society, power, empowerment and participation, illustrated throughout with relevant research findings. Marilyn Taylor provides an even-handed and sophisticated account of the policy commitment to community and whether it can meet high expectations. Assessing the tensions in community policy and practice, she concludes with an insightful comparison between optimistic, pessimistic and pragmatic scenarios for the future.

With this book, readers could not want for a better route-map and guide for their own odyssey through the complex landscape of public policy in the community.'" -- Rob Macmillan, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.