{"product_id":"local-government-from-thatcher-to-blair-9780745622033","title":"Local Government from Thatcher to Blair","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis accessible text summarizes and explains the structure of British local government, focusing on key changes introduced during the Thatcher\/Major years and initiatives implemented by the current Labour administration. While offering a detailed discussion of these policies, the book examines how local government has sought to respond in a proactive way to a range of important social, political and economic changes. \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Readers are introduced to local government as a lively and complex site of political engagement. British local government is set in a wider political, social and theoretical context. Throughout, the authors argue that the attempt by the Thatcher and Major administrations of 1979-97 to push local government into the role of merely administrating centrally defined policies was largely short-circuited. While outlining and explaining these changes and their effects, the authors argue that far from being defenceless victims of central government, local authorities dev\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This book is a powerful and exciting statement of the creative autonomy of British local Government. It explores how local authorities have found ways of pursuing innovative strategies, even in adversity. It is well-informed and right up-to-date in the concerns it raises. The authors' arguments represent a powerful corrective to the currently dominant academic and political \"common sense\", with its simple slogal of \"modernisation\".' \u003ci\u003eAllan Cochrane, Open University\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The book has much to offer. Its promotion of the concept of creative autonomy is forceful, insightful, and a valuable contribution to the literature on local governance in the United Kingdom.' \u003ci\u003eEnvironment and Planning\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"This is an excellent book combining the offer of a comprehensive and authoritative text suitable for advanced undergraduates and masters students with the advancement of an important thesis.\" \u003ci\u003eSocial Policy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Figures and Tables. \u003cp\u003ePreface and Acknowledgements.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eList of Abbreviations.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePart I: The Context of UK Local Government.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 1: The Evolution of Local Government in the UK.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 2: Theories of Local Government and Local Governance.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 3: British Local Government since 1979: Two Decades of Change.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePart II: Local Government from Thatcher to Major: Three Dimensions of Change.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 4 The Financing of Local Government.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 5: The Changing Structure and Shape of Local Government.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 6: Local Government and the Private Sector.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePart III: Local Government Reinvents Itself?.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 7: Local Elections, Political Realignment and Change in Local Authorities.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 8: Getting Their Own Houses in Order: New Directions in Local Government Internal Organization.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 9: Global Problems, Local Solutions: Government and Sustainable Development.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 10: The Europeanization of British Local Government?.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePart IV: Sub-national Government under New Labour.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 11: Towards Regional Government? The Introduction of Regional Offices, the Moves towards Devolution and the Notion of Regionalism.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 12: Local Government under New Labour.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Wiley and Sons Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49404351119703,"sku":"9780745622033","price":54.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780745622033.jpg?v=1730486187","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/local-government-from-thatcher-to-blair-9780745622033","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}