Localism in practice: insights from two Tasmanian case studies

Abstract

There is a growing need to develop and implement new forms of governance that respond to the increasing complexity of decision making and balance the roles of government and local citizens. Localism is (re)emerging as an alternative to traditional ‘top-down’ governance strategies which are criticised for their failure to adequately respond to the diversity of community needs. This article uses two case studies to explore how localism works in practice, the Tasmanian Drought Support Network and the Tasmanian Forest Agreement. Four dimensions of adaptive governance are used to critically identify the benefits and limitations of localism as a governance approach, exploring the approaches capacity for social and economic entrepreneurship, governance quality and the utilisation and enhancement of individual capacities. These empirical findings will help policy makers and community members better understand localism and guide the development of theory around localism and its future practice.