‘The End of the Beginning’? Taking Forward Local Democratic Renewal in the Post-Referendum North East

Shaw, Keith; Robinson, F. A.

doi:10.1080/02690940701584862

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…This echoes one of the key messages of our earlier research on the shift from regionalism to localism: namely that the former English regions should aim to make what they can of the opportunities offered within the 'localism agenda' (Shaw and Robinson, 2011). In this sense, the space created by the clearing away of the English regional 'architecture' (however much lamented, or ill-advised) allows local authorities, in particular, to consider new flexible approaches to economic development that may not have been possible under the old system and which serve to reconfigure the traditional regional or sub-regional boundaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…More than a decade of regional development under New Labour had been unable to resolve the region's deeplyrooted economic problems --in much the same way that previous phases of regional policy had failed over the preceding decades (Shaw and Robinson, 2011).…”

Section: The Emergence Of 'Common-sense Regionalism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the concept of regionalism has been particularly influential in the North East --culminating in the previous Labour government's (unsuccessful) proposals for a directly-elected North East regional assembly (Shaw and Robinson, 2007). Here, the abolition of regional governance, and the shift from regionalism to localism, has marked a genuinely radical break with the past and has substantial consequences for the region's future development (Shaw and Robinson, 2012;.…”

Section: The Emergence Of 'Common-sense Regionalism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of the North East stakeholders we consulted as part of an earlier research project (Shaw and Robinson, 2011), felt that it was time to move on, that regionalism was finished, and that excessive nostalgia and lamenting the loss of region-wide bodies could hinder the taking up of new opportunities. It was argued that:…”

Section: The Emergence Of 'Common-sense Regionalism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A wide range of public, private and third sector organisations had to come to terms with the 'post-regional' reality of the Regional Development Agency (RDA) being replaced by two sub-regional Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), with a subsequent rescaling of economic boundaries being accompanied by a greater emphasis on private sector-led economic growth (Shaw and Robinson, 2011). More recently, however, the North East has adopted a more outward-facing approach to economic development which considers the potential implications of a more powerful Scotland (in the context of the referendum on Scottish independence in September 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Borderlands: Rescaling economic development in Northern England in the context of greater Scottish autonomy

Shaw

Robinson

Blackie

2014

Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit

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This article argues that the space created by the clearing away of the English regional 'institutional architecture' after 2010 allows local authorities, in particular, to consider new flexible place-based approaches to economic development not possible under the old system. In this context, economic development activities, initiatives and alliances can now be developed to cover geographical areas that 'make sense', rather than being imposed or being chosen through habit: it is an opportunity to rescale or recalibrate traditional spatial approaches to place-based economic development. Here we discuss some implications of that, particularly how local authorities in the North East of England and Cumbria are responding -or could respond --to the potential granting of greater economic and fiscal powers to Scotland resulting from pressures for further devolution and the 2014 referendum on independence. We look at the emerging opportunities for collaborative approaches to cross-border economic development; this is an issue that is virtually absent from any contemporary studies of local economic development in the UK. Drawing upon recent research, the article outlines the case for a 'Borderlands' approach -which brings together the five local authority areas adjacent to the border -to develop joint approaches to economic development in areas such as transport, tourism, business development and superfast broadband. In addition to such cross-border alliances, we also point to opportunities to reinvigorate co-operation between the North East and Cumbria. The prospect of further autonomy for Scotland is stimulating a new interest in the North East, Cumbria and Scotland in working more collaboratively together, but the outcome of that (whatever the referendum result) may depend upon how the Anglo-Scottish border is perceived. We argue that it needs to be seen less as a barrier and more as an enabling mechanism which brings new opportunities for a relationship based on 'co-optition'.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: The Emergence Of 'Common-sense Regionalism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Emergence Of 'Common-sense Regionalism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Emergence Of 'Common-sense Regionalism'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Borderlands: Rescaling economic development in Northern England in the context of greater Scottish autonomy

Shaw

Robinson

Blackie

2014

Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit

Self Cite

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“Disorganised Devolution”: Reshaping Metropolitan Governance in England in a Period of Austerity

Shaw

Tewdwr‐Jones

2017

RuR

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After 2010, the UK Government's espousal of a Localist agenda reflected a rejection of the regional level as the most appropriate scale for sub-national governance. The development of a more explicitly city regional level of governance is illustrated in the creation of City Deals which have given some of England's largest cities increased autonomy to allocate the dividend of local economic growth. More recently, Combined Authorities have been formed, within which larger city-regions such as Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool and the NorthEast of England have been tasked to undertake transport, economic development and other functions. In assessing this contemporary reshaping of metropolitan governance this article draws upon political economy, spatial and institutional approaches that highlight how austerity, competing spatial imaginaries and the historical evolution of centrallocal relationships within the UK state have combined to produce a particularly 'disorganised' approach to contemporary devolution in England. It contends that while the city region remains the dominant spatial narrative, the ongoing process of rescaling at the sub-national state level falls well short of being a coherent, clearly thought-out and

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Public Services in a ‘Postdemocratic Age’: An Alternative Framework to Network Governance

Laffin

Mawson

Ormston

2014

Environ Plann C Gov Policy

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This paper questions the continued dominance of the network governance approach in public policy and administration and proposes an alternative framework. We find little evidence to support claims for a paradigmatic shift towards network governance in the English case. Neither does the evidence support claims for a weakening of vertical linkages or a strengthening of horizontal linkages within, or across, service delivery chains in England. Instead, bureaucratic and hierarchical structures remain pervasive and power remains highly centralised. The two case studies, of economic development and affordable housing provision, demonstrate how reforms are driven by elected politicians' political objectives and their support of various target groups in society. Nevertheless, policy making is constrained by conditions of 'postdemocracy'essentially, the exigencies of contemporary electoral politics and the pervasive influence of business. The study of public administration and management needs to refocus on the implications for the public services of postdemocracy and address critical questions of power, competing interests, mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion, and contested claims to knowledge and expertise within service delivery chains.

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‘The End of the Beginning’? Taking Forward Local Democratic Renewal in the Post-Referendum North East

Cited by 18 publications

References 16 publications

Borderlands: Rescaling economic development in Northern England in the context of greater Scottish autonomy

Borderlands: Rescaling economic development in Northern England in the context of greater Scottish autonomy

“Disorganised Devolution”: Reshaping Metropolitan Governance in England in a Period of Austerity

Public Services in a ‘Postdemocratic Age’: An Alternative Framework to Network Governance

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