Local decision-making and community wellbeing

We looked at evidence from previously published reviews to assess the strengths and weaknesses in existing knowledge, and identify current gaps in the evidence-base.

Building on the scoping review, we conducted a systematic review of the evidence to understand what ‘meaningful’ involvement looks like and how this impacts wellbeing outcomes.

Our systematic review looked at the findings from primary-level evaluations and studies, using the inclusion criteria that was developed in the scoping review stage.

Key insights

Deliberate and meaningful community involvement in decision-making can increase wellbeing in a number of ways for both participants and their wider communities.

When done poorly, joint decision-making interventions can have negative outcomes for individuals and communities, including frustration and loss of trust.

We need to know more about how experience differs between socioeconomic
groups and protected characteristics.