Community capacity building (CCB) is a fairly new term for an age-old good: enabling people to define their own destinies. This book presents and analyses some of the most interesting recent developments in the field of community capacity building, in a variety of OECD and non-OECD countries. The focus is on how CCB has effected change in three major areas: social policy (health, housing, community regeneration); local economic policy; and environmental policy. The book also outlines the common conditions required for CCB to take hold and thrive, allowing for the political voice of local communities to be clearly heard.