Local Government Studies 

About: Local Government Studies is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Local government & Politics. It has an ISSN identifier of 0300-3930. Over the lifetime, 1849 publications have been published receiving 24781 citations.

Local Governance under the Coalition Government: Austerity, Localism and the ‘Big Society’

Abstract: The Coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, formally created on 11th May 2010, has introduced a range of initiatives which affect local governance, from the announcement of a new Localism Bill through to the abolition of the Audit Commission and the arrival of the ‘Big Society’ agenda. This article reviews the key policy announcements of the Coalition's first year and analyses the underlying themes and trends which are emerging. It argues that the Coalition's reforms do show traces of an ideological commitment to localism and a new understanding of local self-government; there is an ideological agenda which has the potential to deliver a radically different form of local governance. However, the reform process is far from coherent and the potential for radical change is heavily constrained by: conflicts in Conservative thinking and the failure of the Liberal Democrats to assert their own ideology; the political expediency of budget cuts during an era of austerity and; the probl...

Examining Citizen Participation: Local Participatory Policy Making and Democracy

Abstract: Citizen participation is usually seen as a vital aspect of democracy. Many theorists claim that citizen participation has positive effects on the quality of democracy. This article examines the probability of these claims for local participatory policymaking projects in two municipalities in the Netherlands. The article focuses on the relations between citizens and government from a citizens' perspective. The findings show that the role of citizens in these projects is limited, serving mainly to provide information on the basis of which the government then makes decisions. Nevertheless, the article argues that citizen involvement has a number of positive effects on democracy: not only do people consequently feel more responsibility for public matters, it increases public engagement, encourages people to listen to a diversity of opinions, and contributes to a higher degree of legitimacy of decisions. One negative effect is that not all relevant groups and interests are represented. The article con...

Why do local governments privatise public services? A survey of empirical studies

Abstract: Many empirical works have been devoted to analysing the factors explaining local privatisation Overall, most of the empirical analyses have low explanatory power due to the methodological difficulties in capturing the dynamic nature of the privatisation decision The variables most often considered are those related to fiscal stress and cost reduction and political processes and ideological attitudes Our review indicates that fiscal stress and pressure from interest group are explanatory factors of local privatisation in those early studies devoted to the US that consider a broad range of services Furthermore, cost considerations seem to be taken into account by local governments, particularly when scale economies and transaction costs are taken together Finally, ideological attitudes of policy makers do not seem to influence local service delivery choices in any systematic way

Local Government Reforms in Great Britain, Sweden, Germany and France: Between Multi-Function and Single-Purpose Organisations

Abstract: This four-country comparison has four sections. First, some remarks on appropriate definitions and concepts are made (inter alia by introducing and emphasising the distinction between ‘traditional’ and New Public Management-inspired administrative reforms). Then, country by country accounts of the pertinent reforms are submitted ‘in a nutshell’. Third, with the ‘convergence or divergence?’ question in mind, the conclusion is put forward that significant differences persist (and even increase), particularly between Sweden and Germany, on the one hand, and England and France on the other. In the final section, an attempt is made to assess the ‘performance’ of the different local government systems in looking at their capacity to ‘co-ordinate’ policies and activities. It is argued that Sweden’s and Germany’s traditional type of democratically accountable, multi-functional and territorially viable local government does relatively well in achieving policy co-ordination, democratic participation and political accountability. Great Britain and France, however, could do better. 1

Like a Horse and Carriage or a Fish on a Bicycle: How Well do Local Partnerships and Public Participation go Together?

Abstract: Partnership and participation have co-evolved as key instruments of New Labour's agenda for the ‘modernisation’ and ‘democratic renewal‘ of British local government. It is often assumed that partnerships are more inclusive than bureaucratic or market-based approaches to policy-making and service delivery. This article argues that partnership working does not in itself deliver enhanced public participation; indeed, it may be particularly difficult to secure citizen involvement in a partnership context. The article explores the relationship between partnership and participation in a wide range of local initiatives, exemplifying difficulties as well as synergies. The article concludes that public participation needs to be designed-in to local partnerships, not assumed-in. A series of principles for the design of more participative local partnerships is proposed.