Citizen Participation in Neighborhood Organizations in Poor Communities and its Relationship to Neighborhood and Organizational Collective Efficacy

Authors

Mary Ohmer, Georgia State University
Elizabeth Beck, Georgia State University

Keywords

Neighborhood collective efficacy, organizational collective efficacy, citizen participation, neighborhood organizations, poor communities, community practice, community level research

Abstract

Collective efficacy describes residents' perceptions regarding their ability to work with their neighbors to intervene in neighborhood issues to maintain social control and solve problems. This study examines whether citizen participation in neighborhood organizations located in poor communities is related to neighborhood and organizational collective efficacy among residents. The results indicate that the more residents participated in their neighborhood organization, the greater their level of organizational collective efficacy, but not neighborhood collective efficacy. The results of the current study will help support social workers and other community practitioners understand how to effectively facilitate citizen participation in ways that enhance collective efficacy in poor communities. Implications for social work practice and research are discussed.

Recommended Citation

Ohmer, Mary and Beck, Elizabeth (2006) "Citizen Participation in Neighborhood Organizations in Poor Communities and its Relationship to Neighborhood and Organizational Collective Efficacy," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 33: Iss. 1, Article 10.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3141
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol33/iss1/10