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A previous paper on RIS3 assessed its potential to influence growth strategies and their delivery. It held that significant further investment work was needed in tools and techniques, data and intelligence, and innovation in leadership capacity and capabilities. It further asserted that such investment was needed to be part of a commitment to a long-run learning and evaluation process. This paper considers synergies and dissonances between these national approaches to development in England. In particular, it explores how far RIS represents a step change from previous approaches to innovation-led growth. Alternatively, is it more accurately an incremental facelift and rebranding of previous orthodoxies? Does it add value to or detract from national policy for England? What roles might the approach play in the so-called ‘devolution revolution’? Can the (small scale, ‘light touch’) Advisory Hub approach support and promote those roles? What, if anything, might the England experience have for other nations and regions of Europe? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the transition regime concept in a case study of how the regime in England has been reconstructed since the 1980s. It explains how the former transition regime evolved gradually up to the 1970s. Thereafter the regime proved unable to cope with an acceleration of de-industrialisation and the government's switch to neo-liberal social and economic policies. These changes destroyed many working-class routes into employment. The resultant push onto academic routes, which had the attraction of continuing to lead to jobs, meant that the enlarged numbers exiting the routes could no longer rely on employment that offered secure middle-class futures. The paper explains how the next 30 years became a period of radical regime reconstruction. Government education, training and welfare policies and changes in the economy and occupational structure, were the context in which schools, colleges and higher education institutions, employers and other training providers, together with young people, 'negotiated' new routes from points to entry to exits into different classes of employment. At the beginning of the 2020s, the reconstructed regime was delivering the fastest education-to-work transitions in Europe, with lower than average rates of youth unemployment and NEET. Then came the challenges of COVID-19, lockdowns and Brexit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction When local councils took on responsibility for public health in England in 2013, leaders from across the north of England met to consider the scale of the challenge. As a result, Public Health England commissioned the Due North Report which outlined new approaches in tackling health inequalities. This second paper outlines what has been learnt in five years as a case study. This includes influencing devolution deals and new elected city mayors, planning for economic growth in deprived areas and developing community asset-based approaches. The paper outlines a new framework for place-based planning to reduce health inequalities. Sources of data Data was gathered from annual reports from north of England directors of public health, Office for National Statistics, Public Health England's fingertips database and regional and national publications and strategies such as the Northern Powerhouse. Areas of agreement Devolution to English cities and councils as 'places' is a new opportunity to address local needs and inequalities. Due North has supported a new public health narrative which locates health action in the most fundamental determinants—how local economies are planned, jobs created and power is to be transferred to communities and connects reducing years of premature ill health to increased economic productivity. Community asset approaches to empower local leaders and entrepreneurs can be effective ways to achieve change. Areas of controversy The north–south divide in health is not closing and may be worsening. Different ways of working between local government, health and business sectors can inhibit in working together and with communities. Growing points Place-based working with devolved powers can help move away from top down and silo working, empower local government and support communities. Linking policies on health inequalities to economic planning can address upstream determinants such as poverty, homelessness and unsafe environments. Areas timely for developing research More research is needed on; (i) addressing inequalities at scale for interventions to influence community-led change and prosperity in deprived areas, and (ii) the impact of devolution policy on population health particularly for deprived areas and marginalised group. Discussion and conclusions Commissioning high profile reports like Due North is influential in supporting new approaches in reducing inequality of health through local government, elected mayors; and working with deprived communities. This second paper describes progress and lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to developing understandings of strong commitments to particular forms of work and how they are sustained against bleak, unstable, exploitative and self-exploitative conditions. It approaches this duality between feeling and structure within the temporal and relational qualities of hope as they are experienced by women jewellery designer-makers in Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. The paper locates these hopes in the Craftswoman's Imperative, a symbolic good and material practice that is concerned with upholding objective values of the truth and beauty of artisanship. The paper details how the hopes of these designer-makers become aligned with those of policy-actors for a reinvigoration of British craftsmanship. It then explores how hope is upheld, and challenged, through sensory experiences of engaging with the material world. Finally, the paper explores these designer-makers’ optimistic practices for achieving the value of the Craftswoman's Imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose - This paper aims to present a case study of the Manchester metropolitan area's efforts at implementing a regional approach to economic policy making and metropolitan governance. Vis-d-vis an emerging proposal for a concerted and effective approach towards the development of a governance model for the Manchester City Region, the paper aims to discuss the competing proposals for a mayoral and more "federalist" model of coordinating local policies in the area.. Design/methodology/approach - The paper examines the roles of different agencies - business representations and local authorities - in working towards a form of coherent governance for the city region against the backdrop of the many current precedents of such arrangements across Europe. Findings - The paper finds that local authorities in .the Greater Manchester area tend to favour a federalist City Region approach with greater autonomy for each participating local government. Yet, the alternative mayoral model retains the advantage of a distinct identity and direct accountability. In any case, a strong and coherent private sector input on key issues affecting the economy and its development in the Manchester City Region are required, but, as yet, not always sufficiently articulated. Originality/value - Finding an "appropriate" model of city-regional governance is a very topical issue. The contribution of this paper is thus timely and offers a good insight into the practical side of coordinating public and private sector interests and ways of making policies as part of city-regional governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development initiatives following large-scale industrial closures often seek to regenerate the local economy through investment in technology and knowledge-intensive activities. The resulting changes in the make-up of the local workforce are in turn likely to generate new forms of demand for housing; demand that will not necessarily be met by the residential offer of the neighbourhoods worst affected by the initial closure. This paper explores these processes through a study of the proposals for a science park as a component of the programme to redevelop the Longbridge site in Birmingham in the UK, following the closure of the Rover automotive plant in 2005. The paper examines the capacity of local workers to take up the anticipated high-technology jobs; the likely configuration of an incoming workforce; and the fit between the housing requirements of these new workers and the residential offer of neighbourhoods in the Longbridge area. It concludes that there is likely to be a poor match between the housing and residential characteristics of neighbourhoods most closely associated with the plant closure and the requirements of an incoming high-tech workforce. This in turn raises a policy dilemma. On the one hand there is a necessity to secure economic diversification for the local economy as a whole, whilst on the other is the requirement to address the specific needs of the discrete neighbourhoods most affected by the closure and whose quality of place offer is often furthest from the requirements of the incoming workforce. A number of policy implications are discussed, drawing on the experience of recent housing and regeneration policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite Birmingham’s claim to constitute ‘England’s second city’, it has arguably been overlooked in much recent academic research – perhaps because of a tendency to regard Manchester as the paradigmatic English example of the emerging post‐industrial city‐region. Contributors to CITY have gone some way to redressing this imbalance – with Frank Webster’s paper in vol 5 no 1 and Kevin Ward’s paper in vol 7 no 2 underlining the wider issues raised by the adoption of ‘urban entrepreneurialism’ in Birmingham. This paper, by Libby Porter and Austin Barber, takes forward such concerns through a case study of the ongoing regeneration of an individual district of the city: Birmingham Eastside. Using the stories of two pubs, whose fortunes are permanently re‐shaped by state‐led development initiatives, the paper develops a critical reflection on academic and policy debates relating to gentrification and the restructuring of central districts of large cities. In particular, the authors highlight how current thinking about the regeneration of inner city districts marginalizes the socio‐cultural meaning of place and the human networks that animate city places. They argue that this constrains planning possibilities and imaginations for the area’s future. The paper’s concluding call for urban analysts and planners alike to go beyond the economic when examining the processes and effects of urban change resonates with much work previously published in CITY. In particular, Porter and Barber’s analysis echoes Frank Webster’s assertion in vol 5 no 1 that, whatever else it may have achieved, regeneration in Birmingham appears to have resulted directly in a destruction of community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper uses class analysis to explore the politics of urban development in London in the 1980s It shows how the Thatcher government's economic and urban policies had the strategic effect of shaping economic restructuring m the city and transforming the sociological bases of class politics The broad impact of Thatcherism in London is discussed, with particular attention being paid to the financial district ("the City') and the Docklands The paper concludes with a discussion of the struggle between the Thatcher government and the London Labour Party which culminated in the "poll tax". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores how three local authorities in England have tried to facilitate personalized home care for older people through changes in commissioning and market development activities; and how these changes have been experienced by support planners and home care agency managers. Overall, it appears that changes are well intended, but the practicalities of implementing them raise some challenges that mean desired objectives may not always be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores satisfaction with the political domain of local government performance, using survey data from a contemporary British city as the empirical context. It employs a factor-augmented ordered logit analysis of data emerging from a representative city-wide series of over 1,000 household interviews. Affective reactions to local economic performance and policy effectiveness are constructed in the spirit of the approach used in earlier work by social scientists. The key significant influences that raise or depress satisfaction at this geographical level are presented. Affective reactions to past policy and the economy are both shown to be statistically significant, but with reactions to the economy being negative while those for other policy reactions seemingly positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been a proliferation of frameworks with a common goal of bridging the gap between evidence, policy, and practice, but few aim to specifically guide evaluations of academic-policy engagement. We present the modification of an action framework for the purpose of selecting, developing and evaluating interventions for academic-policy engagement. Methods: We build on the conceptual work of an existing framework known as SPIRIT (Supporting Policy In Health with Research: an Intervention Trial), developed for the evaluation of strategies intended to increase the use of research in health policy. Our aim was to modify SPIRIT, (i) to be applicable beyond health policy contexts, for example encompassing social, environmental, and economic policy impacts and (ii) to address broader dynamics of academic-policy engagement. We used an iterative approach through literature reviews and consultation with multiple stakeholders from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and policy professionals working at different levels of government and across geographical contexts in England, alongside our evaluation activities in the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) programme. Results: Our modifications expand upon Redman et al.'s original framework, for example adding a domain of 'Impacts and Sustainability' to capture continued activities required in the achievement of desirable outcomes. The modified framework fulfils the criteria for a useful action framework, having a clear purpose, being informed by existing understandings, being capable of guiding targeted interventions, and providing a structure to build further knowledge. Conclusion: The modified SPIRIT framework is designed to be meaningful and accessible for people working across varied contexts in the evidence-policy ecosystem. It has potential applications in how academic-policy engagement interventions might be developed, evaluated, facilitated and improved, to ultimately support the use of evidence in decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four different and incommensurate economic development policies currently pertain in rural England: the pursuit of productivity, well-being, endogenous development and income support. This paper describes these policies as they pertained in 2007 in different Government Departments and evaluates salient changes in Departmental positions in respect of these policies since that time to the end of 2009. The impacts of these policies, and their shifts, on rural areas are assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets the scene for this Policy Studies special issue on plant closures by outlining the form of the auto cluster in the West Midlands, the nature of structural changes unfolding in the industry, and the decline and eventual collapse of MG Rover (MGR). Structural changes highlighted include: greater pressure on firms to recover costs when technological change has been intensifying, driving up the costs of new model development; increased international sourcing of modular components; and a shift of final assembly operations towards lower cost locations. All of these make maintaining mature clusters such as the West Midlands more challenging for firms and policy makers. The paper then looks at 'what went wrong' at MGR. Given long-run problems at the firm and its inability to recover costs, BMW's sale of the firm in 2000 left MGR virtually dead on its feet, and by 2002/2003 it was clear to many that the firm was running out of time. Whilst recognising that the firm's demise was ultimately a long-term failure of management, the paper also looks at other contributing factors, including government policy mistakes over the years, such as the misguided 'national champions' approach in the 1950s and 1960s, a failure to integrate activities under nationalisation in the 1970s, a mistaken privatisation to British Aerospace in the 1980s, and a downside of competition policy in 'allowing' the sale to a largely inappropriate owner in BMW in the 1990s. The considerable volatility of sterling in recent years hastened the firm's eventual demise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raco M. Key worker housing, welfare reform and the new spatial policy in England, Regional Studies. Under the Labour government the character of spatial policy in England has been subject to significant change. The emphasis has increasingly been on spatial policy as an active social policy. This paper uses the example of public sector key worker housing programmes in England to exemplify and analyse the character of these changes. It argues that the new approach also contains an explicit recognition that social policies can and should be re-oriented towards the wider objectives of accumulation and competitiveness and this has broader implications for the organization and character of the welfare state. [image omitted] Raco M. Le logement des travailleurs essentiels, la reforme du syteme de protection sociale et la nouvelle politique regionale au R-U, Regional Studies. Sous le gouvernement travailliste, la politique regionale s'est sensiblement modifiee. De plus en plus on met l'accent sur la politique regionale comme politique sociale active. Cet article cherche a se servir de l'exemple de la construction de logements destines aux travailleurs essentiels du secteur public en Angleterre pour illustrer et analyser le caractere de ces modifications. On affirme que la nouvelle facon comprend aussi une reconnaissance que la politique sociale pourrait et devrait etre reorientee vers les objectifs plus larges d'accumulation et de competitivite. Il y a des lecons a en tirer pour ce qui est de l'organisation et du caractere du syteme de protection sociale. Politique regionale Politique sociale Logement Travailleurs essentiels Competitivite Raco M. Wohnungsprogramme fur offentliche Angestelle, Sozialreform und die neue Raumpolitik in England, Regional Studies. Unter der Labour-Regierung hat sich das Wesen der Raumpolitik in England grundlegend verandert. Die Betonung liegt zunehmend auf der Raumpolitik als aktiver Sozialpolitik. In diesem Beitrag wird anhand des Beispiels von Wohnungsprogrammen fur wichtige offentliche Angestellte in England das Wesen dieser Veranderungen beschrieben und analysiert. Nach meiner Argumentation wird durch den neuen Ansatz explizit anerkannt, dass sich Sozialpolitiken an den breiteren Zielen der Akkumulation und Wettbewerbsfahigkeit umorientieren konnen und sollten, was zu weitlaufigeren Folgen fur den Aufbau und das Wesen des Sozialstaates fuhrt. Raumpolitik Sozialpolitik Wohnungswesen Offentliche Angestellte Konkurrenzfahigkeit Raco M. Alojamiento para trabajadores clave, reforma del bienestar y la nueva politica espacial en Inglaterra, Regional Studies. Bajo el gobierno laborista el caracter de la politica espacial en Inglaterra ha experimentado importantes cambios. El enfasis ha recaido cada vez mas en la politica espacial como una politica social activa. En este articulo ilustro y analizo el caracter de estos cambios con el ejemplo de los programas de alojamiento para trabajadores clave en el sector publico en Inglaterra. Sostengo que el nuevo planteamiento tambien reconoce explicitamente que las politicas sociales pueden y deben ser reorientadas hacia objetivos mas amplios de acumulacion y competitividad y esto repercute en mayor medida en la organizacion y el caracter del estado del bienestar. Politica espacial Politica social Alojamiento Trabajadores clave Competitividad [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines optimal price (i.e. ‘sliding scale’) regulation of a monopoly when productivity and managerial effort are not observed. We show generally how to operationalize this model of incentive regulation and use actual data from electricity distribution in England and Wales to estimate key parameters and make welfare comparisons of sliding scale regulation with a stylized price cap regime and the First-Best (the full information case). Our method enables us to quantify technical uncertainty as faced by the electricity regulator in the 1990s and shows that there are significant welfare gains from a sliding scale relative to the stylized price cap regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England there is both top-down and bottom-up pressure to deliver a sustainable built environment. However, most new projects display few sustainability features. This paper presents 12 barriers to achieving sustainability in development schemes, drawn from qualitative research on five recently completed projects in England. The barriers that were identified by the stakeholders in the schemes include a lack of consideration of sustainability measures, real and perceived costs and inadequate expertise and powers. The paper concludes by suggesting some ways in which these barriers might be overcome. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of regional cultural strategies in England as a signifier of Labour's emerging policy on central–regional political relations. While entreating the cultural consortiums responsible for the strategies to view regional development in an absolute sense—such that all regions can have equal and distinct aspirations—the strategies simultaneously perpetuate existing boundaries, inequalities and political formations. As a result, a socio-spatial distribution of strategy responses has emerged that owes considerably more to the current policy frame than it does to any new or absolutist aspirations on the part of individual regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a critical evaluation of the practice of targeting the firm birth rate as part of a regional regeneration policy. It raises some fundamental questions about the appropriateness of such a practice and shows that different specifications of the birth rate generate very different implications for policy intervention, as measured by the number of births required. It also demonstrates that even when the specification is agreed, the translation of the target into actual numbers of births is far from straightforward, especially where the target aspires to match a region’s performance with what is going on elsewhere and where the survival rate of businesses is also being targeted in parallel. The North East of England is used as the particular context for the evaluation, although the discussion has much wider applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) were established in April 1999 as part of the wider package of devolution measures. One of the first tasks undertaken by the RDAs was the preparation of Regional Economic Strategies (RESs). These strategies were intended to be a means of securing agreement on a single regional vision and programme of development. However, the RDAs are not the only actors present in the English regions and the RESs are not the only regional-level planning exercises. This paper reviews the guidance given to RDAs regarding the preparation and content of RESs. It also provides an initial assessment of the strategy documents and the extent to which they are coordinated with other regional plans and programmes. The eight RESs differ in terms of their structure, content and emphasis. In general terms, and accepting the constraints under which they were prepared, it is clear that they represent positive attempts to develop strategies for the regions. Key issues for the future include the need for RDAs to agree detailed subject-specific action plans, to establish stronger links with other regional actors and to ensure that they add value to regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the impacts of the 2008 global financial crisis on Leeds, a medium sized city in northern England, which in the last decades has specialised in finance-related economic activities. Our aim is to understand if the largely neoliberal pre-crisis urban growth model pursued in Leeds, based significantly on real estate speculation, retail and finance, was put at risk by the crisis and whether a collective reflection by local leaders took place about the need to change direction. To do that we have conducted interviews with experts in the city and analysed policy documents in detail. We focus, in particular, on how the crisis was constructed as affecting Leeds and more specifically if the socio-economic development trajectory and associated urban governance model have changed. We conclude that there has been little reflection and questioning of the underlying principles of the urban growth and governance model in Leeds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The development of functional economic areas and their relationship to governance has been attracting considerable attention. New forms of sub-regional governance have emerged that have been interpreted in a variety of ways. Within this context, a different approach to multiscalar governance linked to economic space is emerging at a European level in relation to the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. This is embedding the principles of subsidiarity/territorial cohesion within member-states, and with sub-state scales of working being promulgated. This paper adds to existing discussions of city-regionalism by providing an alternative—yet fundamental—insight into these reform constructs within England in its relations with the EU. It explores: the role of economic spaces in the genealogy of rescaling tendencies; their co-option of governance as a ‘strategic’ mechanism for growth; and the emergent geo-politics associated with new sub-state governance structures and their effectiveness as intended ‘transitionary’ arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This paper discusses key contextual differences and similarities in a comparative study on brownfield regeneration in England and Japan. Over the last decade, the regeneration of large-scale ‘flagship’ projects has been a primary focus in England, and previous research has discussed policy issues and key barriers at these sites. However, further research is required to explore specific barriers associated with problematic ‘hardcore’ sites suffering from long-term dereliction due to site-specific obstacles such as contamination and fragmented ownership. In comparison with England, brownfield regeneration is a relatively new urban agenda in Japan. Japan has less experience in terms of promoting redevelopment of brownfield sites at national level and the specific issues of ‘hardcore’ sites have been under-researched. The paper reviews and highlights important issues in comparing the definitions, national policy frameworks and the current stock of brownfields. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is now a significant body of work analysing the multifaceted connections between tourism and poverty in less developed economies. Far fewer studies discuss the relationships between tourism and poverty in the world’s affluent societies and most of these concentrate on social tourism and on the benefits of these holidays for deprived and marginalised groups. This paper provides an insight into the experiences of families unable to afford any form of paid holiday away from home. Based on participant-driven interviews with 20 low-income parents living in a deprived area of Inner London, the paper reveals that for these individuals exclusion from tourism makes a clear contribution to their children’s exclusion from everyday norms as holidays are regarded as part of contemporary British family life. The study discusses policy and business implications and suggests further investigation of trans-generational ‘tourism poverty’. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In England, the new Companies Act 2006 has replaced the common law derivative action with a new statutory derivative action but does not allow multiple derivative actions. In Hong Kong, a new statutory derivative action has also been introduced, but the common law derivative action is preserved. As in England, multiple derivative actions are also not provided for by statute in Hong Kong. This paper examines whether it was right to abolish the common law derivative action in England and whether such action should be abolished in Hong Kong. It further considers whether multiple derivative actions should be provided for in both jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following an earlier explanation of planning practices in various cities on the Continent, with their emphasis on expansion, this second paper examines more closely England's century-long experiment with growth prohibitions for London to combat plague and urban unrest. Even with the prohibitions there was no slackening in building. Later, certain exceptions to building prohibitions in London evolved toward regulations for safety and aesthetics. By 1680, London's growth became tolerated, if not planned for, though the suburbs were still not incorporated into the City of London despite having substantially surpassed it in population. The basic arguments and professional/technical responses to all this building were much like today's, helping planners to refl ect upon their own present-day efforts in these regards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-technology clusters have attracted the attention of researchers and policy-makers but studies have focused primarily on the computer, electronics and biotechnology industries; aerospace has attracted less attention. An example of a high-technology cluster based on aerospace is to be found in the East Midlands region of the UK. This paper analyses this cluster. The analysis focuses on the structure of the cluster and the implications of this structure for cluster dynamics. The impact of factors such as corporate strategy, industry evolution and technological trajectories on cluster development are analysed. Finally, the implications of cluster structure for economic development policy in the region are evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper draws on qualitative empirical evidence from studies of regeneration in North-East England, and seeks to link housing market renewal to wider regeneration issues at regional and neighbourhood levels. It suggests that the discourse on, and justification of, housing market renewal has shifted from a specific concern with low housing demand and abandonment to a more generalised modernisation agenda seeking the restructuring of low-income neighbourhoods in terms not only of housing quality but also of tenure and population. This modernisation discourse is strongly linked to a regional economic regeneration agenda. It is argued that despite claims for the holistic nature of market renewal policies, it seems unlikely that these will improve the economic circumstances of existing residents as opposed to serving regional economic development objectives. Moreover, the more sweeping change implied by the modernisation agenda may reinforce the tension at neighbourhood level between community-led neighbourhood renewal and the restructuring of tenure and population through market renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Devon can lay claim to being one of England's favourite counties. It possesses an outstanding environment, and also serves as a year-round premier tourism destination. Devon County Council (DCC) is adopting innovative approaches to providing high-quality sustainable tourism. These approaches promote year-round sustainable tourism through initiatives such as a new customer-focused tourism web portal, managing England's first natural World Heritage Site and integrating tourism and economic development in a remote rural area. Devon is also enhancing opportunities for people to enjoy access to the countryside. Linked to DCC's status as a Centre of Excellence for Transport Planning, the county council's sustainable travel initiatives include improving facilities for walking, cycling and leisure travel by public transport. This paper assesses the successes and challenges of strategic approaches to sustainable tourism with particular emphasis on transport networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since the early 1970s there has been a series of economic and political transitions in the governance of the older industrialized cities of the global north. Grouped together, and commonly referred to as an entrepreneurial 'turn', this series of discrete but interlocking shifts in how the state intervenes and frames urban governance reveals much about the emergent geographies of neo-liberalization. Nation states have codified the inter-urban competition endemic in contemporary capitalism, building upon and reinforcing, rather than ameliorating, uneven economic development. Cities have thus been placed squarely in the front line of delivering national competitiveness. This is in sharp contrast to earlier representations of cities as relics of industrial glories and as financial drains on the nation's resources. In light of this changing portrayal, and building on earlier debates in CITY, this paper draws upon research in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester to question how the meaning of 'urban redevelopment' has been re-constituted in recent years, and in doing so it draws attention to what this might mean for issues of rights to the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to present a new approach to the implementation of local economic development policies. It takes evidence from such areas as physics, biology, and management theory and proposes that a new 'model' may be the way forward for economic development activities. The new paradigm is based upon research carried out in the Coventry area of the United Kingdom (UK). The paper has a five-part structure. Initially, it will provide an overview of underlying local economic and management trends in the UK. This is followed by an examination of underpinning theories and how these can be used. The third section will report on local economic development agencies (LEDAs) which operate in and around Coventry. The last two sections will draw the strands together to propose an Emergence-based local Economic Development Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From its inception in the early 1970s, local economic policy has shifted, albeit in complex and locally specific ways, through a variety of distinctive periods. One critical aspect of change has been the developing relation of 'economic' and 'social' policy spheres which are becoming less distinct, or even directly integrated. In this paper, we examine the emergence of ostensibly 'integrated' local economic and social strategies in two English metropolitan districts - Sandwell and Rotherham - which were at the forefront of policy development in the mid 1990s. In developing this analysis, we locate the roots of integrated policy in the changing ideological foundations of the relationship between economic and social policy under 'late Thatcherism' and 'New Labour', and in reactions to the shortcomings of previous Thatcherite urban policies. However, the process of integrated strategy-making is critically mediated by pre-existing institutional and political forms in localities, producing distinctive institutional responses and policy processes which in turn suggest the limits of policy integration in contemporary local governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the controversy around the readmission of the Jews to England in 1655-6. Only the economic arguments are considered. They are contrasted with the mercantilist model of Brems (1986). It is shown that some of the arguments in favour and against the readmission are according to the mercantilist doctrines, and others are not. More importantly, the study of the controversy highlights new topics that extend the mercantilist model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary. This paper focuses on the development and dissemination of policy discourses in the context of the English planning system. The discursive subject is the identification and justification for the allocation of large sites for economic development purposes. The way this discourse has been developed in two case study areas (the West Midlands and Lancashire) is summarised, drawing out the institutional contexts of discourse development, the functions of the discourses (persuasive, co-ordinative and justificatory), the different discursive levels which are affected by changes in the discourses, the ways in which discourses are disseminated and translated from one institutional arena to another and the institutional work that discourses perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of English first-class cricket in the modern era appears to conform very satisfactorily to the predictions of the model of industrial organization and behaviour selected in this paper. Around the turn of the twentieth century there emerged a centralized structure for making rules and enforcing controls, a formal cartel of first-class teams. And long before the advent of overt commercialism in the sixties, the cartel developed a clear profit consciousness, for reasons of survival, as evidenced in activity to (i) exclude outsiders who might dilute profit opportunities (both as new members of the group and as competitors in product and input markets), (ii) limit competitive bidding amongst group members in the labour market, (iii) enhance group revenues through demand promotion policies and the search for new sources of income, and (iv) contain costs in ways additional to the protection of labour market monopsony. At the same time, despite this profit orientation, delayed, modified and foregone exploitation of likely profit opportunities reveals patent divergencies from the simple goal of joint profit maximization. These lost opportunities appear capable of being explained in terms of (i) the simultaneous pursuit of the goals of international playing success and the defence of tradition as well as joint profit and (ii.) the protection of self-interest on the part of individual clubs. Thus, contrary to romantic myths concerning the character of cricket, activities of the cartel appear to have displayed a pronounced commercial strain and can in large measure be interpreted in the framework of rational optimizing behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local authorities in England and Wales have become important participants in economic development policy. This paper draws upon a comprehensive new data set covering the activities of the councils in the period 1990-92. The data set is unusual in that it allows the direct comparison of the activities of the three main groups of councils: county councils, metropolitan districts and non-metropolitan districts. The paper contrasts the degree of commitment to economic development policy and the range of initiatives of the three categories, and compares the manner in which the three types of councils package their initiatives in order to develop coherent strategies. The analysis reveals significant differences between the categories of councils and shows that despite the rapid spread of economic development policy amongst councils in more prosperous areas during the 1980s, the policies operated still depend on the economic and political characteristics of the councils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses productivity growth in the English coal trade during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are three methodological steps to related to productivity change in the coal trade: Identifying sources of productivity change; Measuring their effect on the productivity of the trade; Assessing the wider consequences for economic development. The bulk of the author's original article was concerned with identifying very clear sources of productivity change. Economist W. Hausman accepts the author's remarks concerning sources of productivity change and adds no further comment about them. His concentration is upon measuring productivity growth where he comes to different and more specific conclusions. On the third methodological step, the impact of productivity growth, he appears equivocal. On the one hand he suggests the impact was minimal and on the other that great benefits were brought to the economies of London and the north-east. Even if one were to accept Hausman's conclusion of minimal falls in shipping costs or freight rates, this does not rule out a growth of total factor productivity of the magnitude outlined in the author's paper.

Abstract: Many coastal communities have strong links to fishing that span generations where fishing is a way of life that goes beyond the means to earning a living. Fishing''s influence is not confined to those activities that take place at sea, but spills over onto land to create a particular identity and sense of place in coastal towns inherently linked to fishing. Using Hastings in south-east England, with Britain''s largest beach-launched fleet, as a case study, this paper considers how marine fishing contributes to place-making. Through an examination of the physical environment and semi-structured interviews, the study found that fishers have deep attachments to the fishing beach, called the Stade, which also defines their identity as individuals and as a fishing community. Non-fishers also value the contribution that fishing makes to the character of the town and its importance for related industries such as tourism. A deeper understanding of the attachments that fishers and non-fishers form with fishing places is needed to inform both local planning and regeneration strategies and, more broadly, fisheries and marine policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The issue of social mixing has recently moved to the forefront of gentrification debate. In part, this has been stimulated by neoliberal urban policies promoting 'social mix' research showing the inability of gentrified neighbourhoods to remain socially mixed and attempts to rethink the association between gentrification and displacement. This paper draws upon a mixed-methods study that examined levels of social mixing between gentrifying and incumbent communities in three neighbourhoods undergoing new-build gentrification in London, UK. Little evidence was found for substantial interactions between populations, and there were few shared perceptions of community. The author claims that the particular character of new-build gentrification has played an important role in generating this socially tectonic situation. Husserl's concept of the lifeworld and Bourdieu's thesis on the relative structuring of class identity are drawn upon to provide an explanatory framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim in this paper is to explain the international strategies of cities by focusing on market conditions. Drawing on a critique of the glocalisation thesis we show that the design of these strategies can plausibly be explained by the specific characteristics of urban capitalism found in the different cities. Whereas the international strategy of Manchester must be seen as a response to problems of postindustrial restrictions, the importance of the logistic sector in Dutch capitalism strongly shapes Amsterdam's strategy. In Zurich, though, it is argued that the city was already very well prepared for the transformation towards a post-Fordist regime, and so did not need any strategy at all. We conclude that varieties of glocalisation trajectories are a major factor driving and shaping the characteristics of international urban strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay is based on a paper presented at the Conference on Legal Founda- tions of International Monetary Stability, held in London (GB), 27-28 April 2006, which was held to celebrate Dr Rosa Lastra's book with the same title (Oxford University Press, 2006). Professor Smits analyses the asymmetry between economic and monetary union from a legal perspective. The author concludes that there is more scope for policy coordination among the EU States in spite of the basic distinction between the two elements of Economic and Monetary Union in the EU, under which Member States remain largely competent to pursue their own economic policies even when a single monetary policy is conducted at Community level. He explores the possible contents of more aligned economic policies, notably on free movement of persons, education, energy and public health. He ends with a few considerations on economic policy choices and the furtherance of happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper reports on empirical research amongst clients of the Government Office for the East of England, exploring levels of satisfaction in order to generate, rather than validate, understanding. As the landscape of public enterprise support in Britain changes and new institutions come on stream, this case poses searching questions about the manner in which policy for economic growth can be delivered in the English regions. Efforts to eliminate confusion and incoherence in the support infrastructure appear not to have succeeded. Findings indicate that barriers between policy ambitions and effective take-up by client communities continue to exist. Clients perceive behavioural rigidities as a barrier to the development of the most effective public-private relationships. A sometimes centralist perspective (arguably, the predisposition of the support infrastructure) is in danger of allowing the benefits of support tailored to regional need to he overlooked. The objective is by "constructively discrediting the system" (as Bowen et al suggest) to stimulate useful debate about the way in which the enterprise culture might be supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Policy & Politics is the property of Policy Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Implementation of policies aimed at reducing atmospheric emissions has drawn attention to the need to integrate policies aimed at protection of the environment into other policy areas such as energy. In this paper we are concerned with the interaction of environmental policies aimed at reducing pollution, and economic policies aimed at reducing market power, in the electricity generation industry. While our analysis focuses on the post-privatization experiences in England and Wales, the analysis is intended to be of wider applicability. In a theoretical model we find that there are welfare gains to be made from a move from the current non-cooperative regulatory regime to cooperative regulation between the environmental and economic regulators – a result that holds for the alternative environmental policies of a technology standard and an emissions tax. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, local authorities and central government have come to recognise ethnic minority small business development in inner city areas as a valid policy issue. This can be seen as a response to under-representation by particular black groups in the small business sector and promotion of small business as a focus of government economic policy for inner cities. The Greater London Council (GLC), prior to its abolition in 1986, played a key role in pioneering local government initiatives targeted to the needs of black owned businesses and those aspiring to be self-employed. These are now being implemented by the Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB). The paper analyses the development and implementation of these initiatives in the wider policy context of GLC's radical economic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the hypothesis that, where a massive increase in bureau staff occurs, the economics of bureaucracy theory literature would predict, ceteris paribus, expansion to be greatest in the most extensively staffed bureaux, since their influence on staffing policies will be greatest. The theory also suggests that bureau strength will be a more important influence on service provision than demand pressure. Empirical data presented on staff employed in London boroughs 1970-76 offers no evidence for either hypothesis since changes in the political composition of the council, wealth and the socio-economic characteristics of the area, are the most powerful explanations of changes in staff size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the objectives of the Structure Plans in the South West England including to promulgate and justify the county's general proposals and policies, interpret national and regional policies in terms of physical and environmental planning, and supply the structure and statutory basis for local district plans. It examines the differences in treatment of a policy area in each region and the future provision of employment in structure plans within the South West Region. Three questions are presented which raised against the approach to other central issues in the Structure Plans.