Public value governance meets social commons: community anchor organisations as catalysts for public service reform and social change?

Scottish public service reform is one example of an emerging international vision for state-convened public value governance. Scottish Government focus on community empowerment has legitimised discussions of community-led approaches and offers cautious policy support for community anchor organisations. In this context, community studies scholars and community sector continue to reflect critically on complex relations between state and community, with some exploring a social commons as a distinctive aspiration for democratic governance. In this paper, our participatory research with six community anchor exemplars and wider stakeholders provides empirical material to support discussion, interpretation and analysis at ‘the frontier’ of these visions of governance. We consider the potential for anchors to offer collaborative leadership to facilitate cross-sector partnership and participation and agonistic leadership to provide countervailing, constructive challenge to the state. We conclude by advancing a research agenda to explore further community sector leadership at times of increasing social and ecological crisis.