Allan McConnell

Scottish Local Government

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This book fills an important niche in our understanding of scottish local government within the dynamic new context of the Scottish Parliament. It provides academics, students, practitioners, journalists and others with a broad-ranging yet detailed account of how local government actually works and the main political issues and debates surrounding its multi-faceted role in contemporary Scotland. It covers issues such as: *The nature and purpose of Scottish local government * The strengths and weaknesses of unitary authorities *Modernization of political management arrangements *Roles and remuneration for counselors *Electoral reform and new methods for encouraging citizen participation *The growth of non-elected local governance *Best Value and the rise of the performance culture *The politics of council finance: including business rates, Council Tax and PFI *The wider context of central-local relations, multi-level governance and globalization The book contains a wealth of facts, figures, tables and diagrams. In a supportive way the analysis draws on literature from the traditions of public policy, public administration and political science. The result is a modern and accessible analysis of Scottish local government in the context of devolution. A particular focus throughout is assessing the 'distinctiveness' of scottish local government compared to the rest of the UK, and addressing the question-to what extent has devolution made a difference to scottish local government? Key Features: * The only modern work of its kind-fills a gap in our understanding of local government in Scotland * Accessible-offers the facts of how scottish local government works, combined with incisive political analysis * Places scottish local government in the context of the Scottish Parliament, Westminster, the EU and an increasingly globalized world

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Edinburgh University Press
• Seitenzahl: 288
• Erscheinungstermin: 21. September 2004
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 236mm x 160mm x 20mm
• Gewicht: 599g
• ISBN-13: 9780748620043
• ISBN-10: 0748620044
• Artikelnr.: 21523235

Autorenporträt

Allan McConnell

Inhaltsangabe

Contents
Introduction
1. Thinking Politically: The Nature of Local Government in Scotland
2. Mapping the Networks and Relationships of Scottish Local Authorities
3. Scottish Local Authority Structures: From Feudal Burghs to Single-Tier Authorities
4. Council Decision-Making Structures: From Traditional Administration to Post-Devolution Modernisation
5. Councillors, Elections and the Electoral System: A Healthy Democratic Foundation?
6. Beyond Elections: Non-Electoral Forms of Public Participation and Non-Elected Local Governance
7. Political Parties in Scottish Local Government
8. Reconstructing Accountability: Value for Money and the Rise of the Performance Culture in Scottish Councils
9. Financing Scottish Local Government
10. The Bigger Picture: Central-Local Relations, Multi-Level Governance and Globalisation
Conclusion: Has Devolution Made a Difference to Local Government in Scotland?.