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Emerging Patterns of Governance
in the
English Regions
John Mawson, Graham Pearce, Sarah Ayres
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In Brief
This project explores the emerging network of governance structures in the English regions, including the roles, responsibilities and relations between the key regional institutions, their regional stakeholders and central government.
Findings
- Transport policy lacks coherence at the regional level; the proposals in the English regions White Paper are unlikely to change this situation
- Whitehall is 'pleasantly surprised' by English decentralisation in practice, though in part reluctant to pass powers to the regions
- Government Offices in the regions are still not in the position to offer effective policy coordination in the regions
Context
Despite an appetite for devolution in some regions the evolution of English regional governance since 1997 has been disjointed and divergent. The White Paper on the English regions anticipated in 2002 is unlikely to change this situation in the short term. Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have been created to deliver government programmes and develop regional economic strategies. Government Offices for the Regions had earlier brought together the territorial activities of a range of government departments, establishing new forms of regional working involving cross-cutting agendas and new forms of coordination through partnerships. The final element in the governance ‘troika’ were the Regional Chambers, indirectly nominated bodies with at least two-thirds local authority members plus representatives from regional public private and voluntary sector bodies. The Chambers are consulted by the RDAs on regional economic strategy and have evolved additional strategy-setting roles.
Objectives
The research will explore the political, organizational and managerial issues associated with the emergence of the territorial networks which have emerged around this ‘troika’ and contribute analysis for the improvement of regional governance as government policy on the English regions develops. It will:
- Conduct a general survey of institutional structures and processes in all eight English regions
- Examine how far regional institutions in England are encouraging new forms of working between public, private and voluntary sectors, identifying limits to the engagement of stakeholders and the inclusivity of the emerging regional networks
- Assess how far new forms of regional governance are affecting relationships between EU, central, regional and local governance
- Assess how far the new institutional architecture is helping to promote more integrated (‘joined-up’) policy processes
- Test the robustness of the new governance structures by deepening the research through matched policy case studies in four regions in order to identify best practice in fostering network relations, policy integration and cross-regional learning
- Communicate the results of analysis to panels of policy practitioners.
Research Plan
The research will be conducted largely through documentary analysis and interviews with policy actors nationally, regionally and locally. It will run through three phases:
1. Mapping how central government departments most closely engaged in decentralization have adapted to working in the regional context
2. Mapping the roles and relations between the main regional institutions and their partners in generating regional policy strategies
3. Moving on this basis into case studies of four regions in each of which strategy-setting and partnership working in three discrete policy fields and one cross-cutting policy issues will be explored.
Project Publications
Ayres, Sarah and Pearce, Graham:
The Implications of the Devolution White Paper for Transport.
West Midlands Regional Assembly and West Midlands Constitutional Convention, Birmingham, 2002
Ayres, Sarah and Pearce, Graham:
Jam Tomorrow? The Multimodal Model Study Investment Plans
(Submission to House of Commons Transport Committee)
The Stationery Office Limited
London, April 2003
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Related Projects
Burch: 'Asymmetric' Devolution and EU Policy-Making in the UK
Cooke: New Models of Development Funding in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Goodwin: Constitutional Change and Economic Governance: Territories and Institutions
Tickell: Building Institutions in a Vacuum? Devolution and England’s South East
Valler: Devolution and the Politics of Business Representation
| Principal Contact |
Professor John Mawson
Business School
University of Warwick
COVENTRY CV4 7AL
02476 528433
Mr Graham Pearce
Business School
Aston University
BIRMINGHAM
B5 7ET
0121 3593611
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| Project Members |
Dr Sarah Ayres
Business School
Aston University
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| Duration of Project: |
1 June 2002 - 31 May 2004 |
| Amount of Award: |
£82,113 |
| ERSC Project Number: |
L219 25 2113
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