Abstract
The unprecedented assault on local government powers pursued by the Conservative Government of 1979–83 has once more projected questions about the role of local authorities within the state apparatus to the forefront of attention. Perhaps as important has been the attempt by Labour local authorities to combat the artificial recession which lies at the heart of monetarist strategy by protecting the social wage and promoting economic development. The interplay between these efforts and Whitehall’s counter-moves demonstrates yet again the need for some sound theory of the potential of and limits to such local political action. This involves explaining why local governments end up with the powers they have in market societies, what causal processes determine the distribution of functions between central and local/regional governments, and how the interests of working people may best be advanced given these constraints.
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© 1984 Patrick Dunleavy
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Dunleavy, P. (1984). The Limits to Local Government. In: Boddy, M., Fudge, C. (eds) Local Socialism?. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-17441-6_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-17441-6_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-35187-1
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