Publisher's Synopsis
Local government and the local structure of the state have recently emerged as major areas of political conflict. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the crisis in local - central relations, firmly placing political events in the context of the development of both central political powers and local autonomy.;The book focuses on the key period of increasing centralisation since 1976, which has involved progressive central control over local government finance, centralized policies for local service delivery, centrally-steered experiments such as Enterprise Zones and UDCs and all-out attacks on local government autonomy with rate-capping and abolition. But this period also includes the emergence of resistance campaigns and alternative local policies.;The authors examine how local - central relations have changed and why they have changed. As well as examining local - central relations as a whole, the book has core studies of local economic policy, housing, civil defence, health, water and transport.;Evaluating the debates on local state and local government, the book provides a conceptualization of the nature and role of the local state within the process of uneven development.;This work should be of interest to 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates studying local government, post-graduates, researchers and teachers in political science, government, geography, urban sociology and urban studies.
