Regional Economic Governance: A Technology of Government or Regional Autonomy in New South Wales?

Rural Community and Rural Resilience: What is important to farmers in keeping their country towns alive?

“…There have been a number of local, state and national strategies to address economic and population imbalances between large cities, larger regional centres and smaller towns in Australia (Pritchard and McManus, 2000;Beer et al, 2003;Haslam-McKenzie and Tonts, 2005). Recognition that those strategies have largely failed to shift the path of local development, and of the limitations of government power in this policy arena, have stirred the notion of death and decline of many places (see Sorensen, 2002, Sorensen et al, 2007Hearfield and Sorensen, 2009). In Europe and North America there have been similar concerns about the fate of small towns and rural areas as economic and demographic pressures are brought to bear on vulnerable rural communities, reinforced in some cases by changes in governance structures and tempered by a recognition of demographic shifts towards favoured rural areas, a trend that is similar to the Australian situation (Norris-Baker, 1999;Blevins, 2000;Johnson, 2003;Burnley and Murphy, 2004;Costello, 2007;Davies, 2008;Kasimis, 2008;Wood, 2008;Carr and Kefalas, 2009;Hall and Stern, 2009).…”

The Economic Geography of Australia and Its Analysis: From Industrial to Post‐Industrial Regions

“…From one perspective, neoliberalism is seen to create a vacuum in the administration of places as central governments abrogate responsibility for the well‐being and development of vulnerable cities, towns, and communities (Gray and Lawrence, 2001). The development of new governance structures, such as regional development agencies or catchment management authorities, provides governments with an opportunity to give the appearance of granting autonomy to regions, while maintaining control (Hearfield and Sorenson, 2009). The impact is said to resemble ‘attempts to bail a sinking ship, at least for many parts of regional Australia’ (Sorenson et al ., 2007, 313), and from a broader perspective, the inclusion of community actors into the management of places ‘poses few threats to the state's hegemonic project of subjecting citizens and primary industries to the vagaries of global markets’ (Cheshire and Lawrence, 2005, 442).…”

Policy regime and policy change: Comparing the phenomenon of local government before and after regional autonomy

“…There is an indication of wasting regional budgets to support financing some improper programs. For instance, this budget is utilized in terms of social assistance grants before the local election is conducted (Bird & Rodriguez, 1999;Gagliano, 2013;Hearfield & Sorensen, 2009;Hooghe, Marks, & Schakel, 2010;Kamaludin & Rahmayanti, 2013).…”