Research

My research interests centre around public engagement – the context, the practice and the practitioners.

Public Engagement Practitioners

Christensen, H. E. (2019). Participatory and Deliberative Practitioners in Australia: How Work Context Creates Different Types of Practitioners. Journal of Public Deliberation, 15(3). https://delibdemjournal.org/articles/abstract/10.16997/jdd.343/

Christensen, H. E. (2019). Managing divided loyalties in the emerging profession of community engagement. Journal of Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783319879243

Australian Local Government Community Engagement Practice

Christensen, H.E. (2018) ‘Legislating community engagement at the Australian local government level’, Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, issue 21, article ID 6515. https://doi.org/10.5130/cjlg.v0i21.6515

Christensen, H.E. & McQuestin, D. (2018) ‘Community engagement in Australian local governments: a closer look and strategic implications’, Local Government Studies, 45 (4). https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2018.1541794

Participatory Budgeting

Christensen, H.E. & Grant, B.J. (2016) ‘Participatory Budgeting in Australian Local Government: An Initial Assessment and Critical Issues’, Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol. 75, no. 4, pp. 457-475. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12219

Austaxpolicy asked us to write a short blog based on this article, the details are:

Christensen,  Helen  &  Grant,  Bligh,  (2017),  Participatory Budgeting: The Next ‘Big Thing’ in Australian Local Government?,  Austaxpolicy: Tax and Transfer Policy Blog,  2 February 2017, Available from: http://www.austaxpolicy.com/participatory-budgeting-next-big-thing-australian-local-government/

Professionalisation

Christensen, H. E., & Grant, B. (2020). Outsourcing local democracy? Evidence for and implications of the commercialisation of community engagement in Australian local government. Australian Journal of Political Science, 55(1), 20–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10361146.2019.1689921

Christensen, H.E. (2018) ‘Community Engagement and Professionalization: Emerging Tensions’, Research in Ethical Issues in Organisations, 20: 117-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1529-209620180000020010

Book Review

Christensen, Helen E. (2018) ‘Review of The Professionalization of Public Participation edited by Laurence Bherer, Mario Gauthier, and Louis Simard (New York: Routledge, 2017),’ Journal of Public Deliberation, vol. 14, no. 1, article 11. http://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.301