University of Westminster funds new guide to help practitioners and academics work together to strengthen democracy

The Guide is itself the product of a collaborative project led by the University of Westminster’s Professor Graham Smith with colleagues from other universities and civil society organisations the Democracy Network, Involve and the Centre for Democracy. The collaboration was funded by a grant from the Participatory Research Fund at the University of Westminster. 

The Guide looks at the different aspects of collaboration, exploring how it works, how it sometimes goes wrong and the best strategies for success. The resource aims to inspire more academics and practitioners to work together to help push for social and democratic change. The Guide is published by the Democratic Network, a collective of people and organisations that are looking to tackle issues of power, democracy and voice across the UK. Through connecting people and working collaboratively they aim to grow a stronger democracy. 

Professor Smith, from the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster and one of the authors of the Guide, said: “So many practitioners and academics are motivated to collaborate to realise democratic and broader social change. But they don’t know where to start and their different organisational cultures and expectations can mean that it is difficult to establish and sustain productive relationships. We hope that the Guide offers practical insights on how to get started, what successful collaboration looks like and how best to overcome the challenges to sustained relationships. We really hope that both practitioners and academics find it useful in ways that invigorate and strengthen our democracy.”

Download The Collaboration for Democratic Change: A Guide for Practitioners and Academics guide.