Local Governance in England and France addresses issues at the cutting edge of comparative politics and public policy. The book is based on extensive research and interviews, over 300 in total, with local decision makers in two pairs of cities in England and France: Lille and Leeds; Rennes and Southampton. No other Anglo-French comparative project has ever gone into such depth - based on actual case studies - making this book an invaluable resource for students and professionals alike. The book poses key questions about the changing role of the state, the difficulties of policy coordination in a fragmented institutional context, and about the relationship between governance, networks as well as political and democratic accountability. It will be of great interest to the professional research community, and practitioners in Britain, France and beyond, as well as to students of comparative politics, European public policy, British / French politics, European studies, public management and local government studies.

About the Author

Alistair Cole is Professorial Research Fellow at Cardiff University. His many publications include Franco German Relations, French Politics and Society, and Francois Mitterand: A study in political leadership.
Peter John is Anniversary Reader in Politics, Birkbeck College, University of London. He chaired the Political Studies Association Research Sub-Committee, 1999-2000, and worked closely with the Economic and Social Research Council as an adviser. He is the author of Analysing Public Policy.

Reviews

'...this is a book that provides sufficient comparative insights and would be a good addition to teaching and research libraries.' - Urban Studies, Mike Raco, University of Reading.

'...this book is already a 'classic' comparative book in the field of local government/local governance in Europe. It has no equivalent in Europe. It is the most rigorous and carefully designed comparative research in the field of local government published for quite a long time. It is essential reading for comparative government courses, a useful tool with the extensive bibliography and the depth of the research makes it also crucial for postgraduate and advanced researchers.' - Patrick Le Gales, CEVIPOF-CNRS/Sciences Po Paris, West European Politics.

Book Information
ISBN 9780415239424
Author Alistair Cole
Format Hardback
Page Count 208
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 430g