Public policy-making in Western democracies is confronted by new pressures. Central values relating to the role of the state, the role of markets and the role of citizenship are now all contested and the consensus built up around the Keynesian welfare state is under challenge. New social movements are entering the political arena; electronic technologies are transforming the nature of employment; changes in demographic structure are creating heightened demands for public services; unforeseen social and health problems are emerging; and, most disturbing, social and economic inequalities are increasing in many countries.How governments -at international, national and local levelsrespond to this developing agenda is the central focus of the Public Policy and Politics series. Aimed at a student, professional, practitioner and academic readership, it aims to provide up-todate, comprehensive and authoritative analyses of public policymaking in practice.The series is international and interdisciplinary in scope and bridges theory and practice by relating the substance of policy to the politics of the policy-making process.
In a stream of high profile announcements the UK central government has said that it wants to devolve power to sub-regions within England-to city regions and across the country. This article presents evidence to show that the actual intent of government policy is the reverse. Instead of promoting the creation of powerful, independent sub-regional authorities, answerable to the citizens who elected them, the government is seeking to impose a supercentralised model of decision-making in which locally elected politicians are required to comply with central directives. By drawing on work with city region leaders in England the article develops criteria for assessing sub-regional governance. Inspirational examples of city region governance in other countries are presented. These examples show that the current supercentralisation of the English state is out of step with progressive policy making in other countries. Suggestions on how to develop real devolution in England are outlined.
Three broad options for public service reform are attracting considerable interest within British local government and the National Health Service – consumerism, decentralization and the extension of local democracy. This article examines each of these options in some detail. While each avenue offers a number of exciting possibilities for change each also conceals a confusion of different hopes and aspirations. It is essential to develop a much sharper analysis of what is on offer and of the underlying driving forces for change. Some proposals are essentially managerial, some are clearly political, others combine managerial and political change. There is a major risk that many authorities will attempt to implement some or all of these new ideas without thinking through the implications.
In the years since Local Economy was launched in 1986, globalisation has diminished the power of place-based leaders. Place-less actors, meaning people who are not expected to care about the consequences of their decisions for particular places and communities, have gained extraordinary power and influence in the modern era. This growth in place-less power has not, however, erased the power of local democracy. Viewed from an international perspective, many cities are pursuing socially and environmentally enlightened policies that are improving the local quality of life, and Melbourne provides an inspiring example. Since 2010 the UK Coalition Government has worked to diminish further the power of elected local authorities in England. Current proposals, requiring groups of local authorities to plead for bespoke powers, take the super-centralisation of the state to a new level. A different way forward is to learn from examples of bold, place-based leadership in other countries. New Civic Leadership (NCL), an approach that values solidarity, community empowerment and democratic social purpose, is put forward as an alternative to both centralisation and the outdated notion of New Public Management (NPM).
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