A new essay from the Social Market Foundation called ‘Disconnected Citizens: Is Community Empowerment the Solution?' suggests that if the Government's Empowerment strategy doesn't change, the disconnection between citizens and government will only get worse. Recent emphasis has been on strengthening direct and participatory citizen engagement, but the report states that "citizens... become even more disillusioned when it becomes clear they do not have the power to really change anything." An alternative approach that strengthens links to representative democracy is proposed.

Read the Social Market Foundation essay