A new framework for understanding subnational policy-making and local choice

Peter Eckersley

doi:10.1080/01442872.2016.1188910

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article presents a new and innovative framework to help analyse policy-making and depoliticisation within subnational governance arrangements. By focusing on the capacity (not the autonomy) of subnational governments to achieve their political objectives, and incorporating external actors along both the vertical and horizontal dimensions, it provides a dynamic tool to understand the extent to which municipal governments influence local policy-making processes. Furthermore, it stresses that greater ‘localism’ (or independence) between vertical tiers of government is likely to weaken subnational bodies and result in them becoming more interdependent with (or even dependent on) horizontal non-state actors within the locality. This would weaken their position in local governance arrangements and exacerbate the depoliticised nature of decision-making.

Highlights

In recent decades, as policy-makers have sought to address an increasing number of ‘wicked issues’ (Rittel and Webber 1973), scholars have begun to appreciate the crucial role of subnational bodies in the delivery of public goods and services (Ostrom 1990; Putnam, Leonardi, and Nonetti 1993; Savitch and Kantor 2002)
By focusing on the capacity of subnational governments to achieve their political objectives, and incorporating external actors along both the vertical and horizontal dimensions, it provides a dynamic tool to understand the extent to which municipal governments influence local policy-making processes. It stresses that greater ‘localism’ between vertical tiers of government is likely to weaken subnational bodies and result in them becoming more interdependent with horizontal non-state actors within the locality
This would weaken their position in local governance arrangements and exacerbate the depoliticised nature of decision-making

Summary

Introduction

As policy-makers have sought to address an increasing number of ‘wicked issues’ (Rittel and Webber 1973), scholars have begun to appreciate the crucial role of subnational bodies in the delivery of public goods and services (Ostrom 1990; Putnam, Leonardi, and Nonetti 1993; Savitch and Kantor 2002) Such issues (which include climate change, obesity, overfishing, migration and teenage pregnancy) cannot be solved solely by national governments: in order to deal with them effectively, a whole range of state and non-state actors need to be involved in ‘governance’ arrangements. The model takes account of other governance actors along both the ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ dimensions (higher tiers of government and other local organisations respectively), and allows scholars to pinpoint whether subnational bodies are independent of, interdependent with or dependent on these other stakeholders This enables us to identify the most powerful actors within subnational jurisdictions, and which stakeholders are influencing decision-making and policy outputs. The article sets out the new theoretical framework, before concluding with suggestions as to how scholars might wish to apply the approach in empirical study

Methodology

Conclusions

Notes on contributor