Current policy responses to low levels of resident participation in urban regeneration schemes may be based on flawed assumptions for the reasons underpinning non-participation amongst certain sections of disadvantaged communities. Ethnographic fieldwork in a New Deal for Communities area demonstrates that some residents actively avoid participation as part of `survival strategies' that have been developed to cope with long-term multiple disadvantage. Capacity building exercises are unlikely to impact upon participation rates among these individuals and groups. Instead, a more radical approach to social policy provision is called for, that explicitly acknowledges and understands the socio-cultural context within which residents make decisions regarding participation.
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