Mutual aid and self-help: Coping strategies for excluded communities

As the welfare system is restructured and state support is reduced, the concepts of mutual aid and self-help are being promoted as a means of addressing problems of poverty and social exclusion. A range of informal structures, including activities such as credit unions, economic exchange systems, and shared childcare, offer solutions to the problems of budget constraints, as well as confronting the breakdown in social cohesion and providing a cushion against the impact of poverty.This analysis explores the potential and limits of self-help and mutual aid, and looks at how much these informal networks and activities can contribute to the mainstream. The authors conclude that they play a crucial part in combating social exclusion, and make recommendations for policies to safeguard and enchance their role.Mutual aid and self-help is important reading for community groups, poverty networks and local authorities.