Abstract
English local authorities face a combination of deep budget cuts and sharp increases in citizen demand, linked to the costs of recession and demographic changes. Evidence from case study research shows the dominance of cost-cutting and efficiency measures, as in previous periods of austerity. But creative approaches to service redesign are also emerging as the crisis deepens, based upon pragmatic politics and institutional bricolage. While the absence of radical new ideas and overt political conflict is surprising, local government reveals a remarkable capacity to reinvent its institutional forms to weather what amounts to a 'perfect storm'.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 533-549 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Policy and politics |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2013 |
Keywords
- Austerity
- Institutional change
- Local government
- Resilience
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Public Administration
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law