Citizens and inclusive growth

Citizens and Inclusive Growth is a discrete programme of research that looks at the role of citizens in strategies for inclusive growth.

In this final report, we build on the pivotal work of the RSA’s Inclusive Growth Commission and seek to support impactful next steps by:

• Interrogating what citizenship means and how it corresponds to inclusive growth
• Examining participatory models, their strategic design, delivery and oversight
• Reviewing the efficacy of citizen engagement methods and mechanisms, and
• Making recommendations in support of inclusive, innovative, and impactful approaches to citizen participation in inclusive growth.

Our approach

The research for this project involved an open call for evidence, a literature review, action research and fieldwork, and a global practice review in four UK cities and six international cities. Our case studies in the Inclusion, Innovation and Impact chapters were developed through drawing on a series of interviews.

Stakeholders and the wider public were engaged in the project from its inception, through an open blogging forum on the project’s interactive Medium platform, as well as in the case study development and through engagement in action-oriented events.

In addition to deploying traditional methods, the project used a live and dynamic participatory research process, designed to grow iteratively and deliberatively, working throughout with people – citizens – as collaborators and co-designers in the research, its analysis, synthesis and dissemination. 

Download the report: Citizens and inclusive growth (PDF, 1.3MB)