Politics and Society in Wales – serie

The creation of the National Assembly for Wales and Scottish Parliament has altered the democratic landscape of the UK. In assuming many policy and adminstraitve responsiblities previously held by the central government, the Welsh assembly promises innovation in governance and there are high expectations that devolution will bring about significant changes in Welsh life. "New Governance - New Democracy?" questions whether these expectations are likely to be fulfiled. Drawing on interviews with many of the people who have influenced the devolution experiment, from poltitions to ordinary citizens, this book offers interdisciplinary discussion and analysis of issues ranging from electorial turnout, participation and legitimacy to the involvement of marginalized groups in the process of government. It also examines the developing relationship between the new Welsh legislature and the voluntary sector, the governance of economic development and the regulation and political control of public agencies in Wales.

The Information Age offers a critical examination of the challenges a newly-devolved Wales faces in reinventing itself as a confident and competitive 'e-nation'. The development and exploitation of technology has long been at the core of Welsh economic and social life and has assumed even greater significance over the last few decades with the emergence of new information and communication technologies. Neil Selwyn and Stephen Gorard suggest that small countries will lose out if they fail to adopt appropriate strategies for lifelong learning and combat the danger of a 'digital divide'. At the same time, their extensive empirical research offers early indications of the likely shortcomings of relying on technology alone to promote knowledge and social inclusion. Wales faces major structural, economic and socio-cultural challenges. None of these will be overcome by relying solely on 'technical fixes'.

This text evaluates the legal and constitutional aspects of devolution. Drawing on interviews with those responsible for the devolutionary scheme, it considers the internal architecture and operation of the National Assembly, and Wales's relationship with Britain and the European Union.

Making Sense of Wales gives an account of the main changes that have taken place in Welsh society over the last fifty years, as well as analysing the major efforts to interpret those changes. By placing work done in Wales in the context of broader developments within sociological approaches over the period, Graham Day demonstrates that there is a body of work on Wales worth considering in its own right as a specific contribution to sociology. He also shows the relevance of sociological accounts of Wales for understanding contemporary empirical and theoretical concerns in social analysis. Beginning with post-war analysis which considered Wales in terms of regional planning and policy, Day shows how more theoretically informed perspectives have come to the fore in recent years. He also examines more contemporary developments, such as gender and class transformations, the emphasis on the centrality of the Welsh language for conceptions of Wales and Welshness, as well as the impact of new forms of governance and questions of social exclusion.

This book addresses the marked decline of religious practice and subsequent eclipse of the social significance of religious institutions in contemporary Wales from a sociological perspective. Throughout, the text is lively, lucid, well paced and is written to be accessible to non-specialists and church leaders as well as sociologists of religion. It breaks new ground in its combination of fieldwork and theory, redressing the tendency within British sociology of religion towards either over-generalized abstraction or under-theorized empirical description. Beginning with a wide-ranging and critical exploration of the main theoretical currents informing the idea of secularization, it then focuses on an account of social and religious change in Wales that incorporates a range of sociological factors relating to class, economy, community, social mobility, demography and cultural identity. Fieldwork interviews provide a compelling account of contemporary religious practice while offering a strong sense of the historical dimension of patterns of social and cultural change within Wales. Apart from its contribution to the sociology of religion, this book makes a significant contribution to the relatively new discipline of congregational studies. It is particularly useful in bringing a more nuanced understanding to notions such as 'evangelical' and questioning the myth of the comparative success of evangelical-charismatic religion in late-modern society. Questions of social class are dealt with directly and usefully as is the impact of social change on difference of outlook between the generations.

This volume draws upon academic research to provide an accessible account of the way that the changes introduced by devolved governance are transforming the role of women in contemporary Welsh politics. It sets out current ideas in academic thinking and why political and social scientists are excited about, and interested in, devolution. It is based on original interviews with participants as well as a wide range of secondary sources. It draws upon research in Scotland and Northern Ireland in order to place the events reported on within the wider context of devolution in the UK. The volume begins by examining how women activists used the political opportunities afforded by constitutional reform to further gender equality and women's participation in politics. These actions led to unique, and as yet little known, innovations such as the Welsh Assembly's statutory duty to promote equality of opportunity. This account examines the background to, and effects of affirmative action taken by three political parties such that the new Welsh legislature has the second highest proportion of women elected representatives amongst national government bodies in Europe. It explores the notable development whereby women are in a majority in the Welsh executive's cabinet. Against the background of pro-devolution rhetoric that stated the case for a 'new politics' based on 'inclusiveness', this volume presents a timely assessment of a new phase in Wales's history; one that has redefined women's role in contemporary Welsh politics.

Examines the impact of devolution on civil society during the Assembly's first term with a particular focus on civil society's contribution to enhancing democracy and the interrelationship between civil society and national identity. This work contributes to bridge the gap between theory and empirically-grounded research on civil society.

Examines the relationship between language and governance in Europe and Canada, dealing with theoretical debates, constitutional changes, political trends and language initiatives. This volume combines an amalgam of academic scrutiny and knowledge of the intricacies of promoting official and lesser used languages in Canada and parts of the EU.

Examines the importance of place in shaping nationalism. This book argues for the need to explore how various people - embedded within particular places and operating across different scales - contribute to its reproduction. It seeks to re-energise both geographical and social constructivist understandings of nationalism.

This book draws on original research to consider the connections between childcare, family lives and social policy. The research, located in Wales in the period following devolution, concerns the capacity of policy to enhance family well-being. In interviews with mothers and fathers of young children, their day-to-day childcare arrangements are explored through the themes of gender, social networks, material circumstances and neighbourhood resources. This material provides a basis for an assessment of policy through interviews with policy-makers. The book identifies a significant gap between what matters to parents and what is currently being offered in policy and service provision

Presenting an introduction to the local economy of Rhondda-Cynon-Taff and an account of the history of the region's inward investment development strategy, this title offers recommendations for future policy-making, suggesting that a new approach which empowers local people to work together to make the best of the economic opportunities they have.