Reflections on the New Local Political Economy: resignation, resistance and reform

In: Policy & politics, Band 19, Heft 2, S. 73-85

Abstract

The article reflects upon the fundamental changes which have affected British local government in the 1980s and upon the responses to these changes by local authorities. The processes of restructuring affecting localities are summarised to provide a context in which to analyse the responses of local government to change. The main part of the article looks at the range of responses. The typology of responses identified are: resignation, resistance, radical reform and pragmatic reform. The article concludes by arguing that despite political centralisation and processes of national and international economic restructuring individual local authorities exhibit a variety of responses not only between each other but within the organisation over time or between different services.