Henry Tam leads the Question the Powerful political education project, which promotes awareness and application of the ideas set out in his publications, policy advice and public talks, to counter the dystopian threats of power inequalities.
His academic books and novels are concerned with exposing the dangers of allowing an elite to acquire too much power, and showing how cooperative communities can revive democracy. His widely acclaimed writings include: Communitarianism (a political treatise nominated by New York University Press for the for the 2000 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order); Kuan’s Wonderland (a political fabe described by the president of the Independent Publishers Guild as “an unmissable page-turner”); Whitehall through the Looking Glass (“an extraordinary dystopian tale about corporate greed and political collusion” - Baroness Kay Andrews, former Government Minister); and Against Power Inequalities (a global history praised by the Secretary-General of Cooperative UK as the work of “a master storyteller”). His essays appear regularly on ‘Question the Powerful’.
He is currently the Director of the University of Cambridge’s Forum for Youth Participation & Democracy. He is also Visiting Professor, Social Policy & Education, at Birkbeck, University of London; Fellow of the Globus Institute for Globalization and Sustainable Development, University of Tilburg (the Netherlands); and Chair of the Communitarian Forum, UK (1995-2000). He has been a guest speaker at many institutions, including: the University of Oxford; the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation (Harvard, USA); the Warsaw Institute of Sociology; the National School of Government; the London Business School; the BBC; Metropolitan Police Authority; Church Action on Poverty; and the South Place Ethical Society.
Between 2003 and 2010, he was the UK Government’s Head of Civil Renewal & Deputy Director for Community Empowerment, with lead responsibility on national policies for the involvement of citizens in shaping public decisions. The cross-government ‘Together We Can’ programme he developed was showcased at the 2008 international meeting of the Global Network of Government Innovators (USA). During 2010-2011 he was the UK’s Head of Race Equality. He has also been the Home Office’s Director for Community Safety & Regeneration (East of England); and Head of the Correctional Services Standards Unit. Prior to joining the senior civil service, he was the Deputy Chief Executive at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, where his work on democratic engagement won a Best Practice Award from the Prime Minister in 1999. In recognition of his success in introducing more effective engagement and communication approaches in the public sector, he was elected Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 1993.
He read Philosophy, Politics & Economics at the Queen’s College, University of Oxford; and obtained his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Hong Kong.
List of Key Publications
• Against Power Inequalities: a history of the progressive struggle, (new edition) QTP: 2015.
• 'Communitarianism, sociology of', in International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Elsevier, 2015).
• ‘Let’s Talk About Democracy’ in nED (the network for Education & Democracy): (August 2014).
• ‘What would Whitehall be like in fifty years’ time?’ in Despatches, the Civil Service College newsletter (Vol.2 July 2014, p.2).
• ‘Whitehall through the Looking Glass: a novel exposé of corporate government’, published interview in Shout Out UK, 8 May, 2014).
• Whitehall through the Looking Glass (a novel). QTP: 2014.
• 'Communitarianism', in the Encyclopedia of Action Research (Sage Publications, 2014).
• 'Progressive Lifelong Learning: pros and cons', NIACE Journal, 'Adult Learning', winter, 2013.
• 'Cooperative Problem-Solving & Education’, Forum journal, Volume 55 Number 2 2013.
• 'The Curious Case of Chinese Politics in Britain’, The Orient (2013).
• 'When Plato met Potter’, Book Brunch (published 18 June 2013).
• 'Cooperative Problem-Solving: what it means in theory and practice', FYPD, University of Cambridge, 2013 (download article here). Polish version, 'Demokracja: lekcje kooperatywnego rozwiazywania problemow’, published in edukacja obywatelska w dziataniu, ed. by Kordasiewicz, A. & Sadura, P., (Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar, Warsaw, 2013).
• Kuan's Wonderland (a novel). QTP: 2012.
• ‘Citizen Engagement and the Quest for Solidarity’, in After the Third Way: The Future of Social Democracy in Europe>, ed. by Olaf Cramme and Patrick Diamond (London, I.B. Tauris, 2012).
• ‘Democratic Participation and Learning Leadership’, published in Polish as ‘Szkola liderow’ in Partycypacja: przewodnik krytyki politycznej, ed. by Sadura, P. & Erbel, J. (Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej, Warsaw, 2012).
• ‘Rejuvenating Democracy: lessons from a communitarian experiment’, Forum, Volume 53, Number 3, 2011.
• Komunitaryzm, (Polish translation of Communitarianism, by J Grygienc & A Szahaj), Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikolaja Kopernika, Torun 2011.
• ‘Through Thick & Thin: what does it really take for us to live together’, in Ethnicities, ed. by Dina Kiwan, Volume 11 Issue 3 September 2011.
• ‘The Big Con: reframing the state-society debate’, PPR Journal, Volume 18, Issue 1, March-May 2011.
• Against Power Inequalities: reflections on the struggle for inclusive communities, (original edition) Birkbeck, London University, 2010.
• ‘The Importance of Being a Citizen’, in Active Learning for Active Citizenship, ed. by John Annette & Marjorie Mayo, (NIACE, 2010).
• ‘Bringing up Citizens’ – review of Patrick Keeney’s Liberalism, Communitarianism & Education, in PROSPERO (Autumn issue, 2009).
• Review of White, S. and Leighton, D. (ed.) Building a Citizen Society: the emerging politics of republican democracy (London: Lawrence & Wishart, 2008) in RENEWAL (Vol. 17 No.2, Summer 2009).
• ‘Citizens’ Access to Power’, in County Beacon (the County Councils Network magazine) April 2008.
• ‘Power to the Citizen’, in VINE (the Voluntary Organisations’ Network North East newsletter) Summer 2008.
• ‘Civil Renewal: the agenda for empowering citizens’, in Re-energizing Citizenship: Strategies for Civil Renewal, ed. by Gerry Stoker, Tessa Brannan, and Peter John, (Macmillan Palgrave, 2007).
• ‘The Hidden Barriers to Collaboration’ in The Collaborative State, ed. by Simon Parker and Niamh Gallagher, (London: Demos, 2007).
• ‘The Case for Progressive Solidarity’, in Identity, Ethnic Diversity & Community Cohesion, ed. by M. Wetherell, M. Lafleche & R. Berkeley, (London: Sage, 2007).
• ‘Communities in Control’, New Start (Volume 8, No. 345, 23 June 2006).
• ‘Civil Renewal & Diversity’, in Social Capital, Civil Renewal & Ethnic Diversity (Proceedings of a Runnymede Conference), 2005.
• ‘Live and Let Eat’, a review of Steven Lukes’ Liberals & Cannibals: The Implications of Diversity, in The Responsive Community, Spring/Summer 2004.
• Progressive Politics in the Global Age (ed.) (Cambridge: Polity, 2001).
• ‘What is the Third Way’, review of The Third Way and The Third Way and its Critics (by Anthony Giddens), for The Responsive Community. (Summer 2001).
• ‘The Community Roots of Citizenship’, in Citizens: Towards a Citizenship Culture, ed. by B. Crick (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2001).
• Review of Schools and Community: The Communitarian Agenda in Education (by James Arthur with Richard Bailey), for the Cambridge Journal of Education. (May 2000).
• 'Rediscovering British Communitarianism', The Responsive Community, (reprinted in the Co-op Commonweal) Spring, 1999.
• 'Time to take a stand: Communitarian Ideas and Third Way Politics', International Scope Review Vol 1, Issue 1, 1999.
• ‘Communitarian Ideas and Third Way Politics', Local Government Voice, July 1999.
• Communitarianism: A New Agenda for Politics & Citizenship (Macmillan, 1998).
• Putting Citizens First, with John Stewart (Municipal Journal/SOLACE, 1997).
• Punishment, Excuses & Moral Development (ed.) (Aldershot: Avebury Press, 1996).
• 'Communitarianism and Citizens Empowerment', Local Government Policy Making, January 1996.
• 'Communitarianism and Humanism: The Need for a Citizens' Movement', The Ethical Record, February, 1996.
• 'Education and the Communitarian Movement', Journal for Pastoral Care in Education, September 1996.
• The Citizens Agenda (The White Horse Press 1995).
• 'Crime & Responsibility' in B. Almond (ed.) Introducing Applied Ethics (Blackwell's 1995).
• 'Enabling Structures' in D. Atkinson (ed.) Cities of Pride (Cassell 1995).
• 'Recognise Your Responsibilities', The Professional Manager, March 1995.
• 'The Real Communitarian Challenge', County News, May 1995.
• 'Towards a Communitarian Philosophy', Philosophy Today, May 1995.
• 'Communitarianism & the Co-operative Movement', The Co-op Commonweal, Issue 2 1995.
• 'Community Movement', Local Government Management, Autumn 1995.
• 'Take the Community Route to People Power', Local Government Chronicle (24/11/95).
• Marketing, Competition & the Public Sector (ed.) (Harlow: Longman, 1994).
• 'Empowerment: Too Big a Task?' The Professional Manager, March 1994.
• Citizenship Development: Towards an Organisational Model (LGMB 1994).
• Serving the Public: Customer Management in Local Government (Harlow: Longman 1993).
• 'Power to the People' Local Government Management Summer 1993.
• 'How Should We Live?' The Philosopher, October 1993.
• Responsibility & Personal Interactions: A Philosophical Study of the Criteria for Responsibility Ascriptions (Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press, 1990).
