CHANGES IN EDUCATION OUTPUTS IN ENGLISH LOCAL AUTHORITIES, 1949–1974

The literature on local outputs is dominated by cross-sectional investigations which suggest that the local socio-economic environment is a critical determinant of local policy. This paper argues that there is insufficient theoretical justification for adopting a cross-sectional methodology. It examines changes in education outputs in 57 English county borough s and 28 English county councils over the period 1949–74 and concludes that long-term trends in output change were little affected by local socio-economic conditions, changes in party control or changes in senior administrative personnel. The results suggest that case study analyses of internal policy-making processes are likely to give more insight into policy determination than current local output analyses.