Big change, little change? Punctuation, increments and multi-layer institutional change for English local authorities under austerity
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: This paper draws on new institutionalist theories to consider how we might characterise the process and outcomes of change occurring in English local government as a result of the UK’s austerity policies. It uses national and local empirical data to argue that changes are best understood as multi-layer processes, whereby radical ‘punctuated’ shifts in national funding can be mitigated to incremental adjustments in service delivery at a local level. However, the paper also suggests that the incremental appearance of change may be temporary, and that diminishing institutional resilience and emergent discursive shifts potentially prefigure a paradigm change in local governance.
Source: Local Government Studies
Author: Alison Gardner
Institution: University of Nottingham
Language: English
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: University of Nottingham
OpenAlex ID: W2562035790