Description
Book SynopsisThe banking collapse and ensuing global financial crisis has been the subject of much analysis and speculation. One growing certainty is that there will be an impact on the delivery of public services and on local government and governance. This topical book examines and debates the challenges posed, on a local, European and global level, by the imperative to balance a fiscal need for smaller public expenditure with a social need for strong governance and protection of the most vulnerable in UK society. Leading academics in the field of local governance contribute to a diverse set of analyses on the impact of the financial crisis.
Trade Review"this book is a really interesting insight into changes in local government in the midst of one of the deepest crisis of the capitalist system." International Journal of Housing Policy
"this book is a really interesting insight into changes in local government in the midst of one of the deepest crisis of the capitalist system." International Journal of Housing Policy
"Is there an alternative to our children having to learn Mandarin, and becoming losers in a cut-throat global market? Although it is often claimed this is inevitable, this book presents some other options and perspectives." Danny Dorling, University of Sheffield
Table of ContentsForeword: The financial crisis and the public sector ~ Ken Livingstone; Introduction and current context of the recession and the public ~ Jo Richardson and Colin Copus; The global context of the crisis: from Bretton Woods to market fundamentalism ~ George Lambie; European effects on the UK crisis: solutions for a recovery ~ Stuart Holland; Local political context of the recession ~ Steve Leach and Lawrence Pratchett; Financial methods of intervention ~ Fred Mear; Efficiencies in public sector delivery ~ John Seddon; Choice, personalisation and empowerment in a recession? ~ Tim Brown and Nicola Yates; Protecting the community from the effects of the financial crisis ~ Jo Richardson; Governmentality: who provides 'public' services and does it matter? ~ Vivien Lowndes and Helen Sullivan; Conclusions and next steps ~ Jo Richardson.
