Continuity and change: A review of english regeneration policy in the 1990s

Hall, Stephen; Nevin, Brendan

doi:10.1080/00343409950081310

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…At the same time, a wide array of minor socially oriented programmes were introduced, and many initiatives favoured partnership work at the local level (Ball and Maginn, 2005). Later, with John Major as Prime Minister (1990–7), a more comprehensive approach was promoted, eliminating the existing multiple programmes and initiatives, and introducing a single funding regime with public money allocated to partnerships on the basis of competitive bidding from local authorities (first the City Challenge and then the Single Regeneration Budget —Bailey et al ., 1995; Hall and Nevin, 1999). This gave social issues a more prominent role, and community participation entered the policy discourse (Foley and Martin, 2000).…”

Section: Birmingham: Introduction To a City And To Its Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Institutional Thickness’: Local Governance and Economic Development in Birmingham, England

Coulson

Ferrario

2007

Int J Urban Regional Res

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This article uses the concept of institutional thickness to describe key features of the local governance of economic development. For this purpose, a methodology for the empirical assessment of institutional thickness is developed and applied to the case of Birmingham, England. The results from this empirical analysis are threefold. First, they make it possible to draw some conclusions on the role that local governments can play to promote local economic development. Second, they suggest that institutional thickness is a useful organizing concept for analyses of the local governance of economic development. Finally, they demonstrate the value of a verifiable and replicable methodology for the detection and measurement of local institutional conditions and of governance arrangements.In 1994 Ash Amin and Nigel Thrift edited a collection of essays under the title Globalisation, Institutions and Regional Development in Europe. The foundation article, 'Living in the global', introduced the concept of institutional thickness.This article is a reassessment of that concept. It does this, first, by examining why the original authors defined it as they did, how the concept relates to local economic development, and the extent to which it is consistent with recent contributions to institutional theory and local development. The second part of the article shows how a quantitative frame can be put onto the concept to enhance its explanatory power in analyses of local economic development. For this purpose the article develops a case study of one city, Birmingham, England, between 1984 and 2004. The article concludes by reassessing the concept and the derived quantitative methodology in the light of the case study.

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Section: Birmingham: Introduction To a City And To Its Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Institutional Thickness’: Local Governance and Economic Development in Birmingham, England

Coulson

Ferrario

2007

Int J Urban Regional Res

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“…Chatterton and Bradley (2000) have suggested that in relation to community engagement 'the community often lacks the power, resources and technical knowledge to operate on an equal footing with lead partners' (p. 183). Hall and Nevin (1999) claim that participation is often a mechanism for lending legitimacy to regeneration policies, which are often pre-existing. The notion that a few individuals can represent large and often demographically diverse populations can also be contested.…”

Section: Direct Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the Impact of Community Engagement on Policy Making in the UK: A Local Case Study

Purdam

Crisp

2009

Journal of Civil Society

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Innovative attempts to involve citizens in policy making have been one of the defining features of the New Labour government in the UK. In this article, we examine the nature and impact of community engagement mechanisms within the flagship regeneration programme-the New Deal for Communities. Through interviews with practitioners, analysis of survey data and participant observation of governance boards we examine the methods and impact of initiatives to engage residents in policy making. While it is apparent that innovative strategies have been put in place to engage and empower communities in local policy making, this has not always been matched by the development of tools for measuring the impact of involvement or for scrutinizing the policy development and decision-making process. More people may have got involved, but little is known about precisely what effect their involvement has had upon policies at the local level. Consultation, or just publicizing what is happening and community involvement in decisionmaking are often conflated, and there is only a limited attempt to delineate and quantify the impact of each. It is also evident that information gathered as a result of some community engagement initiatives is not easily linked to policy development and is not always utilized in the policy process. For community involvement to become a meaningful and sustainable aspect of local policy making, an appropriate infrastructure needs to be developed to ensure that the decision-making process is transparent and accountable, and that the input from citizens genuinely informs decision-making.

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“…An increasing objective of urban policy has been in "restructuring the institutional capacity of a place" (Healey, 1997, p. 141) and "building organisational capabilities within localities" (Turok, 1999, p. 10). For some, the major achievement of competitive funding has been in the stimulus to partnership working (Hall & Nevin, 1999). But institutional thickness and institutional capacity go beyond the formal existence of organizations and partnerships to encompass more enduring assets such as common knowledge and frames of reference, trust relations, the ability and opportunity to mobilize capacity, and the existence of a local common enterprise (see Amin & Thrift, 1995;Healey, de Magalhaes & Madanipour, 1998;Raco, 1998).…”

Section: Power Responsibility and Governance In The New Urban Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While urban policy emphasized market forces and the trickle down effects of private enterprise and flagship projects (Atkinson, 1998, p. 1), it is judged to have had little social and community impact (Reid & Church, 1998). It also paid too little attention to local employment and training issues and to capacity building in deprived communities (Hall & Nevin, 1999). Official reviews by a government watchdog (Audit Commission, 1989) and university researchers (Robson, Deas, Parkinson, & Robinson, 1994) concluded that there were poor relationships between central and local government, excessive bureaucracy in central government programs and a lack of coordinated strategies at the local level.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Power, Responsibility, and Governance in Britain’S New Urban Policy

Kearns

Turok

2000

Journal of Urban Affairs

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Competition became a major feature of urban policy in Britain during the 1990s. The stimulus of competition was intended to improve regeneration policies, partly by galvanizing the collective resources of local actors. This article draws upon the findings of recent empirical studies of regeneration programs and partnerships to consider the implications of competitive urban policy for the theory and practice of governance. It is argued that promoting partnerships among local institutions and improving the quality of regeneration schemes through competition require positive support from central government. The responsibility for tackling difficult urban problems cannot simply be devolved to underfunded local initiatives.

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Continuity and change: A review of english regeneration policy in the 1990s

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

‘Institutional Thickness’: Local Governance and Economic Development in Birmingham, England

‘Institutional Thickness’: Local Governance and Economic Development in Birmingham, England

Measuring the Impact of Community Engagement on Policy Making in the UK: A Local Case Study

Power, Responsibility, and Governance in Britain’S New Urban Policy

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