Hoffman, Steven M., and Angela High-Pippert. 2010. "From private lives to collective action: Recruitment and participation incentives for a community energy program." Energy Policy 38, no. Special Section: Carbon Reduction at Community Scale: 7567-7574. ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost (accessed November 2, 2015).
ABSTRACT
Community energy initiatives offer a potentially important means for reshaping the electrical system in a manner compatible with emissions reduction goals. Many such initiatives, however, focus upon top-down, institutionally structured approaches that understand community residents as atomistic, economically motivated, and minimally engaged. This paper examines a number of case studies that are based upon a bottom-up approach rooted in a civic culture that seeks to maximize the capacities of an active and engaged citizenry. The paper focuses upon two mutually dependent issues: first, recruiting community members, and second, sustaining their participation.
Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project.
Steven M. Hoffman is Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of St. Thomas. Prior to this, he was the Director of the Environmental Studies program. Angela High-Pippert is a professor of political science at the same university.
What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report?
The article argues that currently, the emphasis of participation incentives is not geared towards members of the community, and that a democratic approach to a community-owned energy program is the way to go. They discuss the best methods for recruiting and retaining active community participation.
Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
Analysis of the meeting minutes of the community group show that the participants are interested in the work for "betterment of the community", and that direct benefit is not necessary for the people involved.
What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?
"Community energy organizers must also recognize that they face a political and social reality conditioned by a preference for ‘stealth democracy’ (Hibbing and Theiss-Morse, 2002), residents who prefer individualized rather than collective action (Putnam, 2000 and Putnam, 1995) and an increasingly scarce amount of ‘civic time’ available to the average citizen (Bennett, 1998). In this regard, the problem for the advocacy community is how to alter the behavior of the average, largely unengaged, community member while encouraging at least some well-informed and active citizens to operate in a highly energetic public sphere."
"Instead, the goal of a robust community energy program should be to find and/or create well-informed citizens, some of whom are willing to invest time and effort in realizing the shared but generally implicit values of the community in which they reside. Recruitment strategies and incentives designed to generate and maximize participation must therefore be hierarchical, radiating outward from the enthusiasm of the initial participants, to those who would volunteer time and energy but within ‘reasonable’ limits, to the mass of community members who can be convinced by their neighbors to participate in energy-related, environmentally beneficial activities."
"Building initiatives that maximize rather than marginalize civic engagement requires attention to two mutually dependent issues: first, recruiting community members, and second, sustaining their participation."
What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report?
They did case studies of various community organizations, analyzing history and attendance, as well as in-depth interviews with staff from these organizations.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
This article does not really address equity issues.
Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)
The referencing articles are mostly about community attitudes/participation. This article was actually in a special issue of Energy Policy about carbon reduction at the community scale.
Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?
What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?
Does the article provide information or perspective on any of the thematics already identified as important for the 6Cities project?
Hoffman, Steven M., and Angela High-Pippert. 2010. "From private lives to collective action: Recruitment and participation incentives for a community energy program." Energy Policy 38, no. Special Section: Carbon Reduction at Community Scale: 7567-7574. ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost (accessed November 2, 2015).
ABSTRACT
Community energy initiatives offer a potentially important means for reshaping the electrical system in a manner compatible with emissions reduction goals. Many such initiatives, however, focus upon top-down, institutionally structured approaches that understand community residents as atomistic, economically motivated, and minimally engaged. This paper examines a number of case studies that are based upon a bottom-up approach rooted in a civic culture that seeks to maximize the capacities of an active and engaged citizenry. The paper focuses upon two mutually dependent issues: first, recruiting community members, and second, sustaining their participation.