Chapter 7 distinguishes multiple hypothesized pathways through which empowerment processes produce impacts on health and well-being. The most direct outcome of empowerment processes is that social power is built and exercised. When this occurs, there are benefits for the participants in those processes, who often experience reduced stress and isolation. Empowerment processes also often lead to changes in policies and systems, thereby addressing systemic inequities and contributing to community well-being. Moreover, since empowerment processes can alter community power structures and make them more egalitarian, this may in itself lead to reduced vulnerability and insecurity and greater trust and cohesion. This chapter delineates multiple pathways—participant, ecological, and pluralist—through which empowerment processes can promote health, well-being, and health equity.
IFAS Community Development: Identifying Local Power Structures, The Positional Approach
