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The Polycentric State: New Spaces of Empowerment and Engagement?

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  • Kevin Morgan

Abstract

Morgan K. (2007) The polycentric state: new spaces of empowerment and engagement?, Regional Studies 41, 1237-1251. New Labour claims to have radically reformed territorial governance structures in the UK by devolving political power to the Celtic nations and London, begetting the most enduring legacy of the first Tony Blair government. More recently it has sought to extend its devolution agenda by embracing city-regionalism and the new localism, ostensibly to create new spaces of empowerment and engagement. But devolution is not the whole story of New Labour's attitude to power. On the contrary, this article argues that New Labour is a modern Janus because its commitment to devolving power, so clear in principle, is more equivocal in practice. Drawing on these three devolution narratives, it concludes by assessing the implications for the current debate about relational versus territorial readings of place politics. Morgan K. (2007) L'Etat multipolaire: de nouvelles espaces ou se donner du pouvoir et s'engager?, Regional Studies 41, 1237-1251. Le New Labour pretend avoir radicalement reforme la gouvernance territoriale au R-U par la decentralisation du pouvoir politique aux nations celtes et a Londres, ainsi engendrant le legs le plus durable du premier gouvernement Tony Blair. Plus recemment, il a cherche a elargir son programme de decentralisation en adoptant les notions de cites-regions et de gouvernance locale, apparemment pour creer de nouvelles espaces ou se donner du pouvoir et s'engager. Toujours est-il que la decentralisation n'est pas toute l'histoire quant a l'attitude du New Labour a l'egard du pouvoir. Au contraire, cet article affirme que le New Labour est un Janus moderne, dans la mesure ou son engagement dans la decentralisation du pouvoir, si transparent soit-il en principe, s'avere plus ambigu en pratique. Puisant dans ces trois histoires de decentralisation, l'article conclut par une evaluation des implications pour le debat en cours sur les interpretations relationnelles et territoriales de la politique de l'endroit. Politique territoriale Decentralisation Cites-regions Nouvelle gouvernance locale Morgan K. (2007) Der polzentrische Staat: neue Raume fur Ermachtigung und Engagement?, Regional Studies 41, 1237-1251. Die New-Labour-Regierung behauptet, die territorialen Regierungsstrukturen Grossbritanniens durch eine Dezentralisierung der Regierungsgewalt in den keltischen Nationen und in London radikal reformiert und damit das dauerhafteste Vermachtnis der ersten Tony Blair-Regierung geschaffen zu haben. In jungster Zeit hat sie versucht, diese Dezentralisierung durch eine Ubernahme des Stadtregionalismus und neuen Lokalismus auszuweiten, vorgeblich zur Schaffung von neuen Platzen fur Ermachtigung und Engagement. Doch mit der Dezentralisierung ist die Einstellung von New Labour zur Macht nicht vollstandig beschrieben. Vielmehr wird in diesem Artikel die These aufgestellt, dass es sich bei New Labour um einen modernen Janus handelt, denn das im Prinzip so klare Engagement der Partei fur eine Dezentralisierung der Regierungsgewalt ist in der Praxis weniger eindeutig. Anhand der Beispiele dieser drei Dezentralisierungen werden im Artikel schliesslich die Auswirkungen auf die derzeitige Debatte uber eine relationale oder territoriale Interpretation der Raumpolitik untersucht. Raumpolitik Dezentralisierung Stadtregionen Neuer Lokalismus Morgan K. (2007) El estado policentrico: ¿Nuevos espacios de integracion y participacion?, Regional Studies 41, 1237-1251. El Gobierno del Nuevo Laborismo afirma haber reformado radicalmente las estructuras de gobernanza territoriales en el Reino Unido al transferir competencias a las naciones celtas y a Londres, generando el legado mas permanente del primer gobierno de Tony Blair. Hace poco ha intentado ampliar su agenda de transferencia de competencias al adoptar el regionalismo de las ciudades y el nuevo localismo, aparentemente para crear nuevos espacios de capacidad de poder y participacion. Pero la transferencia no es la historia completa de la actitud de poder del Nuevo Laborismo. En este articulo sostenemos mas bien que el Partido Laborista es un moderno Jano, puesto que su compromiso de transferir competencias, tan claro en principio, es mas equivoco en la practica. Sacando conclusiones de estos tres relatos sobre transferencia de competencias, en este articulo terminamos evaluando las repercusiones en el debate actual sobre la interpretacion relacional o territorial de la politica de lugar. Politica territorial Transferencia de competencias Ciudades-regiones Nuevo localismo

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Morgan, 2007. "The Polycentric State: New Spaces of Empowerment and Engagement?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(9), pages 1237-1251.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:41:y:2007:i:9:p:1237-1251
    DOI: 10.1080/00343400701543363
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    1. Michael Keating, 1998. "The New Regionalism in Western Europe," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1193.
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    2. Beall, Jo, 2020. "Whither the region? Re-thinking the space and place of regions and cities in international comparative perspective," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102507, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Andy Pike, 2007. "Editorial: Whither Regional Studies?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(9), pages 1143-1148.
    4. Andy Pike & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & John Tomaney & Gianpiero Torrisi & Vassilis Tselios, 2010. "In Search of the 'Economic Dividend' of Devolution: Spatial Disparities, Spatial Economic Policy and Decentralisation in the UK," SERC Discussion Papers 0062, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. Danson Mike & Gordon MacLeod & Gerry Mooney, 2012. "Devolution and the Shifting Political Economic Geographies of the United Kingdom Introduction and Context," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(1), pages 1-9, February.
    6. Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose & Anne Krøijer, 2009. "Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in Central and Eastern Europe," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 387-417, September.
    7. Andy Pike & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & John Tomaney & Gianpiero Torrisi & Vassilis Tselios, 2012. "In Search of the ‘Economic Dividend’ of Devolution: Spatial Disparities, Spatial Economic Policy, and Decentralisation in the UK," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(1), pages 10-28, February.
    8. Sangeetha Chandrashekeran, 2016. "Multidimensionality and the multilevel perspective: Territory, scale, and networks in a failed demand-side energy transition in Australia," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(8), pages 1636-1656, August.
    9. Gordon Macleod & Martin Jones, 2007. "Territorial, Scalar, Networked, Connected: In What Sense a 'Regional World'?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(9), pages 1177-1191.
    10. Gill Bentley & Lee Pugalis, 2013. "New directions in economic development: Localist policy discourses and the Localism Act," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 28(3), pages 257-274, May.
    11. Adam Peacock & Simon Pemberton, 2024. "The neglected spaces of economic rescaling: Insights into the in-between spaces of city-regionalism," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 42(3), pages 417-436, May.
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    13. Graham Haughton & Philip Allmendinger, 2015. "Fluid Spatial Imaginaries: Evolving Estuarial City-regional Spaces," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(5), pages 857-873, September.
    14. Mike Danson & Greg Lloyd, 2012. "Devolution, Institutions, and Organisations: Changing Models of Regional Development Agencies," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(1), pages 78-94, February.
    15. Danson, Michael & Todeva, Emanuela, 2016. "Government and Governance of Regional Triple Helix Interactions," MPRA Paper 76780, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. ., 2014. "Devolution, city governance and economic performance," Chapters, in: Urban Economics and Urban Policy, chapter 7, pages 157-184, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    17. Wilmsmeier, Gordon & Monios, Jason, 2015. "The production of capitalist “smooth” space in global port operations," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 59-69.
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    19. Iain Docherty & Jon Shaw, 2011. "The Transformation of Transport Policy in Great Britain? ‘New Realism’ and New Labour's Decade of Displacement Activity," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 43(1), pages 224-251, January.

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