Reclaiming local democracy : a progressive future for local government / Ines Newman.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Austerity has left local government struggling to meet the demands for local services. In this context, this book asks 'what are the fundamental principles that should guide decision-making by local councillors and officers' It seeks to move the agenda from 'what works' to 'what should local government do' and 'how will its policies impact on social justice and local democracy'. Reclaiming local democracy examines the politics of human need and argues that local government should provide a voice for those that lack power. It avoids the dry, familiar debate about what structures and powers loca.

""RECLAIMING LOCAL DEMOCRACY""; ""Contents""; ""Acknowledgements""; ""About the author""; ""Glossary and some abbreviations""; ""1. Introduction""; ""The argument""; ""2. Learning from history""; ""The �good city�: Victorian paternalism""; ""Keynesian welfare state""; ""The welfare state under pressure""; ""The New Right""; ""Creative autonomy and the new urban Left""; ""Why did this change happen?""; ""New Labour""; ""The 2010 Coalition Government and localism""; ""Conclusion""; ""3. Injustice""; ""Current government policy""; ""Injustice""

""Neo-liberalism and the autonomy of the local state""""The inadequacies of current solutions""; ""Partnership and joined-up governance""; ""Public value""; ""The relational state""; ""Conclusion""; ""4. An ethical framework for local government""; ""Does the policy rest on a firm ethical foundation?""; ""Does the policy reinforce mutual obligations through universal provision?""; ""Does the policy address rights?""; ""Does the policy address distributive justice?""; ""Does the policy lead to a deeper understanding of citizenship and the common good?""

""Does the policy address recognition and emancipation?""""Does the policy help professionals deal with day-to-day ethical problems?""; ""Does the policy consider future generations and promote sustainability?""; ""Conclusion""; ""5. Reclaiming local democracy""; ""Defining democracy, accountability and participation""; ""Democracy is not in terminal decline but the model of democratic elitism is dominant""; ""Representative and participative democracy""; ""Reframing local democracy""; ""How councillors can enhance participatory democracy""

""Note on councillors and representative democracy""""Conclusion""; ""6. Recapturing discourse""; ""Is language important?""; ""Economic and market discourse""; ""Responsibility discourse""; ""Motherhood and apple pie discourse""; ""Alternative discourse strategies""; ""Conclusion""; ""7. The future""; ""Bringing together the key arguments of the book""; ""Starting from an ethical framework""; ""Working for national transformation with external social movements""; ""Reclaiming capacity""; ""Reclaiming autonomy""; ""Democracy in the workplace""; ""Supporting citizen agency""

""Final thoughts""""References""; ""Index""

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