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GOVERNMENT BEYOND THE CENTRE
SERIES EDITOR: GERRY STOKER
The world of sub-central government and administration - includ
ing local authorities, quasi-governmental bodies and the agencies
of public-private partnerships - has seen massive changes in recent
years and is at the heart of the current restructuring of government
in the United Kingdom and other Western democracies.
The intention of the Government Beyond the Centre series is to
bring the study of this often-neglected world into the mainstream
of social science research, applying the spotlight of critical analysis
to what has traditionally been the preserve of institutional public
administration approaches.
Its focus is on the agenda of change currently being faced by
sub-central government, the economic, political and ideological
forces that underlie it, and the structures of power and influence
that are emerging. Its objective is to provide up-to-date and
informative accounts of the new forms of government, manage
ment and administration that are emerging.
The series will be of interest to students and practitioners of
politics, public and social administration, and all those interested
in the reshaping of the governmental institutions which have a
daily and major impact on our lives.
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GOVERNMENT BEYOND THE CENTRE
SERIES EDITOR: GERRY STOKER
Published
Wendy Ball and John Solomos (eds)
Race and Local Politics
Richard Batley and Gerry Stoker (eds)
Local Government in Europe
Clive Gray
Government Beyond the Centre
John Gyford
Citizens, Consumers and Councils
Yvonne Rydin
The British Planning System
John Stewart and Gerry Stoker (eds)
The Future of Local Government
David Wilson and Chris Game (with Steve Leach and Gerry Stoker)
Local Government in the United Kingdom
Forthcoming
Richard Kerley
Managing in Local Government
Steve Leach, John Stewart and Kieron Walsh
The Changing Organisation and Management of Local Government
Series Standing Order
If you would like to receive future titles in this series as they
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Standing Order Service, Macmillan Distribution Ltd,
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 2XS, England
Government Beyond
the Centre
Sub-National Politics in Britain
Clive Gray
M
MACMILLAN
© Clive Gray 1994
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of
this publication may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or
transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with
the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988,
or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying
issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court
Road, London WIP 9HE.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil
claims for damages.
First published 1994 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS
and London
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
ISBN 978-0-333-55558-3 ISBN 978-1-349-23280-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-23280-2
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library.
Copy-edited and typeset by Povey-Edmondson
Okehampton and Rochdale, England
To Chrissie and Caitlin
Contents
List of Tables x
Acknowledgements xii
Introduction 1
First words 1
Sub-national government in Britain 2
Government and administration beyond the centre 3
The importance of sub-national government 5
British sub-national government in comparative
perspective 8
Conclusion 10
1 The Local Governments of Britain 12
Introduction 12
The territorial dimension 12
The functional dimension 14
The organisational dimension 16
Variations on a theme 34
Conclusion 36
2 Themes and Issues in Sub-National Government 38
Introduction 38
Life beyond the centre 38
Themes and issues in sub-national government 41
Politics beyond the centre 45
Sub-national government in context 49
Conclusion 50
3 The Changing System and the Conservative 'Revolution' 51
Introduction 51
The growth of the system 52
Vll
Vlll Contents
'Thatcherism' and sub-national government 55
The Conservative approach to sub-national government 57
The control of sub-national government 59
Accountability and sub-national government 64
Participation in sub-national government 67
Finance and sub-national government 69
Management and sub-national government 73
The politics of sub-national government 76
Conclusion 77
4 Sub-National Government: The Concerns of the Centre 79
Introduction 79
Factors influencing the centre 79
Structural factors 80
Procedural factors 86
The goals of the centre 91
Conclusion 93
5 Policy-Making in Sub-National Government 94
Introduction 94
Models of the policy-making process 94
Pluralism 96
Neo-pluralism 98
Elitism 104
Neo-elitism 105
Corporatism II 0
The changing system 114
Conclusion: assessing the models 116
6 Policy Networks and Sub-National Government 120
Introduction 120
Inter-governmental relations and policy networks 121
The changing system 126
The politics of policy networks 130
Conclusion 132
7 Re-Making Policy Networks: Three Case-Studies 134
Introduction 134
Support for the arts 135
Contents ix
Care in the community 140
Urban re-development and inner cities 146
Conclusion 152
8 Theoretical Perspectives 155
Introduction 155
Pluralism and sub-national government 156
Marxism and sub-national government 162
The new right and sub-national government 168
Weberian theory and sub-national government 173
Conclusion 179
9 Conclusion: The Future of Government Beyond the Centre 182
Introduction 182
The shape of things to come? 183
Sub-national government in Britain and Europe 187
The future of government beyond the centre 191
A Guide to Further Reading 196
References 198
Index 212
List of Tables
1.1 Public expenditure 1989/90 in sub-national government 6
1.2 Public sector employment 1989/90 7
1.1 The local government system 17
1.2 The National Health Service system 18
1.3 The outposts of the centre system 19
1.4 The quango system 23
1.5 Organisational differences in sub-national government 33
5.1 Models of the policy-making process 95
5.2 Criteria for assessing models of policy-making 117
6.1 Characteristics of policy networks 122
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