Understanding Governance asks: * What has changed in British government over the past two decades, how and why? * Why do so many government policies fail? * What does the shift from government to governance mean for the practice and study of British government? This book provides a challenging reinterpretation which interweaves an account of recent institutional changes in central, local and European Union government with methodological innovations and theoretical analysis. It emphasizes: the inability of the 'Westminster model', with its accent on parliamentary sovereignty and strong executive leadership, to account for persistent policy failure; the 'hollowing out' of British government from above (the European Union), below (special purpose bodies) and sideways (to agencies); and the need to respond to the postmodern challenge, rethinking the methodological and theoretical assumptions in the study of British government. Professor Rhodes makes a significant and timely contribution to our understanding of government and governance.

Table of Contents

Preface Part one: Introduction Governing without government order and change in British politics Part two: Theory Policy networks in British political science The new governance Part three: Methodology The institutional approach Part four: Applications Reinventing Whitehall the hollowing out of the state Now nobody understands the system the changing face of local government The European Union, cohesion policy and sub-national authorities in the United Kingdom Part five: Developments From institutions to dogma tradition, eclecticism and ideology in the study of British public administration Towards a postmodern Public Administration epoch, epistemology or narrative Bibliography Index.

About the Author

R A W Rhodes is Professor of Politics (Research) at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Director of the Economic and Social Research Council's Whitehall Research Programme; and editor of Public Administration. The author or editor of fifteen books, his most recent publications include ( edited with Patrick Dunleavy), Prime Minister, Cabinet and Core Executive (Macmillan, 1995); and (edited with P. Weller and H. Bakvis),The Hollow Crown (Macmillan, 1996).

Reviews

"...an important perspective that deserves reading, discussion and reflection." - Public Administration "Like most of Rod Rhodes' work, this is an interesting and stimulating work." - Talking Politics "...stimulating and full of insight." - Local Government Studies