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Representing the People? Testing Assumptions about Local Government Reform
Author(s) -
Rao Nirmala
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.313
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-9299
pISSN - 0033-3298
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9299.00153
Subject(s) - cabinet (room) , delegation , commission , local government , public administration , audit , perception , government (linguistics) , political science , distribution (mathematics) , business , public relations , accounting , psychology , law , engineering , mathematical analysis , linguistics , mathematics , neuroscience , philosophy , mechanical engineering
The publication of a new report from the Audit Commission, coupled with the Labour government’s declared intention to modernize local authority decision making, marks the return to the policy agenda of long‐familiar questions. This paper tests some of the assumptions underlying the reform programme against recent research evidence. Moves to improve effectiveness through establishing a ‘cabinet’ system, or delegation to officers or ‘lead’ councillors are considered in the light of councillors’ own preferences and practices. The ways in which councillors spend their time and their perceptions of the appropriateness of its distribution between activities is explored. The paper then examines the extent to which authorities have chosen to experiment with and adapt their own structures, and considers whether central imposition of radical change is either necessary or advisable.