Big change,little change? Punctuation,increments and multi-layer institutional change for English local authorities under austerity |
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Authors: | Alison Gardner |
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Institution: | School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK |
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Abstract: | This paper draws on new institutionalist theories to consider how we might characterise the process and outcomes of change occurring in English local government as a result of the UK’s austerity policies. It uses national and local empirical data to argue that changes are best understood as multi-layer processes, whereby radical ‘punctuated’ shifts in national funding can be mitigated to incremental adjustments in service delivery at a local level. However, the paper also suggests that the incremental appearance of change may be temporary, and that diminishing institutional resilience and emergent discursive shifts potentially prefigure a paradigm change in local governance. |
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Keywords: | Local government austerity new institutionalism change public administration |
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