The Politics of Local Economic Policy

Abstract

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 levels-respond 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-to-date, comprehensive and authoritative analyses of public policy-making 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.

Small firms and local economic development in Poland: Limits and possibilities

“…There has been a persuasive analysis of the way that the burgeoning local economic development initiatives of both the Left and the Right in the United Kingdom, in the 1980s, have collapsed in the 1990s into an enterprise-based pragmatism. 7 Consensus has emerged around the 'Bootstraps' approach, within which local economic development institutions and initiatives emerge as the 'common sense' of the age. However, as has been pointed out, what is striking about these 'local strategies' is just how 'unlocal' they really are.…”

Decentralisation and local economic initiatives: The Danish free local government initiative

“…The policy-making environment has also changed dramatically as central government-appointed quangos and the private sector have expanded their role in urban regeneration. This trend has raised issues about the lack of democracy and accountability in local economic development (Eisenschitz and Gough, 1993). By contrast in Denmark, local government has been accorded a greater role in industrial and labour market policy within the context of an experimental programme which was designed to promote greater local government autonomy.…”

Local Authorities, Tourism and Competition

“…Yet, the impetus for tourism-led economic regeneration (Townsend and Hudson, 1990;Law, 1992;1993;Noble, 1994) continues almost unabated in the UK's "unlikely areas" (Buckley and Witt, 1985;1989). Not only county authorities and specialist agencies, but also district councils and a whole host of collaborative groups, are increasingly involving themselves in the quest for a tourism angle around which to build a better image, if not jobs and prosperity (Eisenschitz and Gough, 1993;Long, 1994;Ball and Stobart, 1996;Charlton and Essex, 1996).…”