Making Hay with Actualism? The Need for a Realist Concept of Structure

This article criticises the ontological assumptions outlined in Colin Hay's recent book Political Analysis (2002). It takes issue with Hay's interpretation of critical realism, in particular his reading of the work of Margaret Archer. Furthermore, it is suggested that Hay's understanding of the structure-agency relationship contains weaknesses which have implications for both his theoretical and empirically-based work. It is argued that a more robust concept of social structure may be required to support the kind of critical political analysis Hay aspires to.     

Modernising Local Government: Micro-Organisational Reform and Changing Local Structural Configurations

This article takes an indicative group of county, metropolitan and unitary authorities located in the English West Midlands to examine how effectively local government is grappling with modernising’ reforms in a context where the appropriate unit of analysis has become problematic because of broader changes to local governance. Sub-national territorial structural variability is becoming more pronounced while, paradoxically, what stands out in the micro-organisational dimension is the extent to which local authorities are increasingly working to a common reform agenda, notwithstanding the need to resolve incoherences in New Labour's modernisation project. The explanation for these observed (contrary) changes lies not only in the vagaries of top-down pressures emanating from central political and regulatory infiuences, but also in local institutional dynamics, as well as in lateral or peer dissemination of ‘good’ practice within local government.     

Explaining the Forced Exit of Charles Kennedy: Pushing the Public–Private Boundary

The demise of Charles Kennedy as leader of the Liberal Democrats (1999–2006) has generally been understood as an unfortunate consequence of Kennedy's struggle with alcohol dependency. Others have suggested that Kennedy was removed because he proved a poor party leader. In contrast, this article argues that the alcohol issue was of key importance, yet that this factor overlapped with the wider depletion of Kennedy's leadership credibility. It is also suggested that Kennedy's removal was in part a consequence of the continued erosion of the boundaries between public and private life in British politics.