Narratives of power: bringing ideology to the fore of planning analysis

This Special Issue starts from the premise that the concept of ideology holds significant analytical potential for planning but that this potential can only be realised if ideology is brought to the fore of analysis. By naming ideology and rendering it visible, we hope to bring it out from the shadows and into the open to examine its value and what it can tell us about the politics of contemporary planning. The papers in this Special Issue therefore seek to contribute to established academic debates by exploring some of the ways ideology can be deployed as a tool in the analysis of planning problems. This article introduces the Special Issue by exploring the various accounts in the papers of i. what ideology is; ii. what its effects are; iii. where ideology may be identified and iv. what different theories of ideology can tell us about planning. There inevitably remain many un-answered questions, paths not taken and debates left unaddressed. We hope other scholars will be inspired (or provoked) to address these omissions in the future

Morphological analysis of legal ideology: locating interpretive divergence

Purpose This purpose of this paper is to present a ‘manifesto’ exploring a methodological approach to legal analysis, relying upon a morphological understanding of ideology. Approach We explore ideology within law and legal culture. We examine one such ideology – rule of law – and consider how this can shape judicial decision-making. We suggest techniques by which such influences can be identified. Findings We make four findings. First, following Freeden, ideology can be understood as a ubiquitous form of political thinking which seeks to fix the meanings of essentially contested concepts. Second, ideology in this sense forms an important part, but is distinguishable from, the wider notion of legal culture. Considering ideology in law as an element of legal culture can therefore be fruitful in providing a rich understanding of interpretive disagreements among the judiciary. Third, rule of law as an ideal is itself ideological, as it comprises contested concepts such as certainty, equality, stability, and legality. It can be considered to constitute an internal ideology of law and we can analyse how the concepts are de-contested in individual decisions. Finally, understanding this can help in the analysis of judgements in areas with high levels of administrative discretion and political contestation, such as planning and environmental law, as it helps us to understand how any particular judge sees the role of the court in its wider political context. Originality The originality of our approach lies in the drawing together of methodological techniques and understandings of ideology in, and in relation to, law

Thinking conjuncturally about ideology, housing and English planning

This paper explores the value of Stuart Hall’s approach to conjunctural analysis for examining the complex relations between ideology and planning. By “thinking conjuncturally” we explore planning as a site where multiple social, economic and political forces coalesce; ideology is one of these forces whose role and influence must be tracked alongside others. To illustrate this we draw on recent and ongoing planning reforms in England and their relationship with housing development. Highlighting the faltering role of a particular ideological formation in ‘suturing together contradictory lines of argument and emotional investments’ (Hall, 2011, 713) around housing and planning, the paper draws attention to planning as a space where ideological struggle takes place within the frame of a broader, contingent cultural hegemony. This struggle may help to reaffirm that hegemony but it can also open space for alternative visions to be articulated, with potential to transform dominant logics of planning and reveal routes to practical and progressive action

Investigation of potential land value tax policy - options for Scotland

The University of Reading has been appointed by the Scottish Land Commission (SLC) to conduct research to assess, with reference to international experience, the potential of land value taxation to contribute to a more productive, accountable and diverse pattern of land ownership and use in Scotland and to identify a set of potential policy options that merit further consideration by the SLC. The current research is part of a broader agenda to reform the system of land ownership and the functioning of the land market in Scotland, and to reshape the role of the public sector in taking a more proactive stance in delivering development in the public interest. Adjustments in the mechanisms for land and property taxation will be an essential piece of the puzzle in delivering this vision

Policy shifts, developer contributions and land value capture in London 2005–2017

Since the early 1990s developer contributions have been the main instrument for land value capture by local government in the UK. There has been little empirical research that has investigated the extent of land value capture and how it may have varied over time in the light of shifting policy regimes and changing real estate market conditions. This paper attempts to address this issue by investigating trends in land value capture through developer contributions in inner London during the period 2005-2017. Using a land valuation model that attempts to simulate the approach to land pricing used by real estate developers, a time series of land values and developer contributions has been generated. It is estimated that, over the study period, developer contributions amounted to 45%-65% of land value assuming a no developer contribution regime. In a period during which national housing and planning policy has changed significantly, non-market housing contributions have comprised a significant proportion of land value capture. As residential property prices have increased, the absolute amount of land value capture has also increased, yet the relative proportion of land value captured has decreased. This finding is mainly due to the failure of local planning policies on developer contributions to keep pace with house price growth. The findings also reveal that, despite a policy environment that has been unsympathetic to delivery of non-market housing through developer contributions, the removal of the social housing grant for non-market housing developed as a component of private schemes in 2010 seems to have increased land value capture relative to the pre-2010 policy regime

Effective primary pedagogical strategies in English and mathematics in key stage 2: a study of year 5 classroom practice drawn from the EPPSE 3-16 longitudinal study

Reference:DFE-RR129 Publication Type: Research Audience: Researchers, Statisticians, Teachers The Effective Provision of Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3-16) project is a large scale, longitudinal, mixed-method research study that has followed the progress of 3000+ children since 1997 from the age of 3 to 16+ years. A continuing question for EPPSE was whether pre- and primary school experiences or children's early home learning environment (HLE) could reduce inequality. The study aimed to examine the differences between poor, average and excellent teachers, and how their teaching practices could be linked to the effectiveness of schools. While the original studies found that parents' socio-economic status (SES) and qualifications were significantly related to child outcomes, they also found that the quality of the early HLE was important. Also important, and particularly relevant to this study, was the extent to which educational influences (pre-school and primary school quality and effectiveness) also shaped children’s educational outcomes. During the primary phase (EPPE 3-11) of the longitudinal study the research team conducted contextualised, value-added analyses for all primary schools in England across three years (2002 – 2004) from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2. These analyses, based on multi-level modelling, considered children’s progress and attainment while controlling for a range of background factors (e.g. gender)

Liberty, property and the state: the ideology of the institution of national English town and country planning

The research explores the relationship between national political ideologies and policy and legislative changes in national English town and country planning. English national planning policy making is theorised as being partly driven by ideological contestation. The research contributes to the understanding of the nature of the policies this process produces, and how it is that the English planning system has become a 'wicked problem' for national policy makers. The analysis focuses on two periods: the ‘1947 system’ period and the early post-2010 Conservative-led Coalition government period. The ‘1947 system’ period has been selected as it is a key phase in the institutionalisation of English town and country planning into a formal institution of the state. The early Coalition government period has been chosen for analysis as it is the most recent period of significant institutional change. Both of these periods are contextualised through a discussion of developments in politics and planning in the preceding decades. The research shows that the institution of national English town and country planning is intimately connected with concepts which are deeply prone to ideological contestation (such as liberty, property and the state), and that these competing contestations influence competing visions for the form and structure of the institution. This ideological quality of ‘thinking about planning’ means that its institutionalised form is inherently prone to change. The research proposes a theory for the analysis of ideology and ideas as they relate to institutional change, and offers an account of the power of ideology to define the limits of politically acceptable thought, and thus shape policy and legislative programmes for English planning. The contribution of this research is towards an understanding of why ideologies have shaped the institution of national English town and country planning over time

Ideology and institutional change: the case of the English National Planning Policy framework

This paper deploys a discursive institutionalist framework to explore how various categories of ideas - from ideology, to programme, to policy - interact to shape the planning policymaking process. Using the emergence of the 2012 National Planning Policy Framework in England as a case study, the role of the political ideology of the leadership of a political party (as distinct from, but related to, the broader category of ‘neoliberalism’) in shaping and legitimising planning reform is analysed. It is shown that it is not only the political ideological legacy of a political party and how it melds with the prevailing paradigmatic orthodoxy (such as neoliberalism) that matters in framing planning reform, but that the way in which ideas are communicated and consulted on in the policymaking process is also significant