Guest blogger Robert Picciotto explores whether the democratic evaluation model from half a century ago is still fit for purpose in April 2015. Are current democratic evaluations adapted to modern-day challenges?

Richard Brunner reflects on the Economics of Prevention seminar (28 May 2015) jointly organised by What Works Scotland and NHS Health Scotland, which explored fresh perspectives and understandings on what works in prevention in policing, health and housing.

Guest blogger Cormac Russell of Nurture Development continues the May 2015 discussion on asset-based community development, arguing that principles of inclusion and social and environmental justice are at the heart of asset-based community development (ABCD).

Guest blogger Dr Akwugo Emejulu reflects on the relevance of asset-based community development in April 2015. She argues that ABCD, perhaps inadvertently, directly contributes to ‘privatising’ social problems by shifting the responsibility for tackling inequality and injustice from the state to individuals and communities using the rhetoric of ‘community empowerment’.

Alistair Stoddart of The Democratic Society, shares some initial thoughts in March 2015 from the Better Place forum, a gathering of community development workers, academics, campaigners, public service managers, and local and national senior officials to look at ways to allow greater citizen involvement in public service decisions and delivery.

What Works Scotland directors James Mitchell and Ken Gibb examine prevention and what, in March 2015, stands in the way of making progress in a shift to focusing on prevention in public services.

Karen Seditas and Sarah Morton share details of the What Works Scotland Evidence Bank being developed from January 2015 to support the use of evidence in public service reform.

Former Scottish Government minister Jim Mather reviews John Seddon’s book, The Whitehall effect: how Whitehall became the enemy of great public services and what we can do about it.

Mini-biographies of two of the research associates when they started working for What Works Scotland in the case study areas, West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow.

What Works Scotland’s Ken Gibb and Claire Bynner reflect on starting work with West Dunbartonshire Council as one of our What Works Scotland case study partners. The blog looks at key challenges and shifting to an integrated preventative agenda.