Steve Leach – författare

First published in 1982, Approaches in Public Policy is an integrated, purpose-written text on the context, process, and practice of policymaking in the public sector, particularly at the local level. It has two main purposes. It aims to provide a stimulating and critical evaluation of trends in the analysis and formulation of policy by examining the realities behind such influential concepts and ideas as ‘rationality’, ‘information systems’, ‘distributional impact of services’ and ‘monitoring’. At the same time, it attempts through case study illustration to provide perceptive and detailed insights into the way such approaches have worked out in practice in a range of examples of policy initiatives in area management, regional planning, health care planning and Comprehensive Community Programmes.

The book fills a significant gap in the literature by providing a well-structured set of papers which link theoretical arguments to an evaluation of topical examples of the policy process in action. It will be of interest to students and researchers of public administration, public policy making, planning, and similar topics.

First published in 1982, Approaches in Public Policy is an integrated, purpose-written text on the context, process, and practice of policymaking in the public sector, particularly at the local level. It has two main purposes. It aims to provide a stimulating and critical evaluation of trends in the analysis and formulation of policy by examining the realities behind such influential concepts and ideas as ‘rationality’, ‘information systems’, ‘distributional impact of services’ and ‘monitoring’. At the same time, it attempts through case study illustration to provide perceptive and detailed insights into the way such approaches have worked out in practice in a range of examples of policy initiatives in area management, regional planning, health care planning and Comprehensive Community Programmes.

The book fills a significant gap in the literature by providing a well-structured set of papers which link theoretical arguments to an evaluation of topical examples of the policy process in action. It will be of interest to students and researchers of public administration, public policy making, planning, and similar topics.

English local government is in a state of decline after 40 years of incremental but cumulative centralisation by central government.

This book is the first to directly address this trend''s impact upon the institution of local government, a crucial element in the democratic viability of a unitary state. The process of centralisation, and its corrosive effect on the status and responsibilities of local government, have been widely recognised and deplored among politicians and senior officers within local government, and by academics with an interest in this field. However, there has been no study exploring in detail its impact, and, equally important, suggesting ways in which the growing imbalance between the powers of central and local government should be rectified. This book fills this gap.

This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of local government, and more generally to those interested in what has been happening to British politics and governance.

English local government is in a state of decline after 40 years of incremental but cumulative centralisation by central government.

This book is the first to directly address this trend''s impact upon the institution of local government, a crucial element in the democratic viability of a unitary state. The process of centralisation, and its corrosive effect on the status and responsibilities of local government, have been widely recognised and deplored among politicians and senior officers within local government, and by academics with an interest in this field. However, there has been no study exploring in detail its impact, and, equally important, suggesting ways in which the growing imbalance between the powers of central and local government should be rectified. This book fills this gap.

This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of local government, and more generally to those interested in what has been happening to British politics and governance.