Governance, participation and hegemony: governing Cananea and the Río Sonora Region

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.By building upon critical debates on ‘network governance’ in policy-making, while finding complementarities with debates on corporate social responsibility in Mexican mining, the paper argues that in the (mis)management of information and implementation of participatory mechanisms, ‘administrative domination’ is found through the relationships held between government authorities and the mining corporation. Based on Cananea and the Sonora River Region, Gramscian understandings of hegemony are discussed. However, this approach faces limitations when encountering decentered relations that go beyond state actors. Therefore, Foucauldian debates on governmentality are useful to complement understandings on the nature of power relations in existing governance arrangements

Defining, achieving, and evaluating collaborative outcomes: a theory of change approach

This paper has been co-authored with colleagues at the Centre for Public Policy, Cardiff University The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Governments have repeatedly claimed that collaboration improves public service outcomes. However, defining, achieving and evaluating collaborative outcomes is often problematic. Analysis of multi-sectoral projects in Wales, which were supported by the European Social Fund, exemplifies these challenges. Shifts in policy discourses and the interplay between national and local agendas produced complex and contested understandings of outcomes which made difficult to evaluate the projects’ achievements. We argue that the pursuit of collaboration needs to be understood not simply as an attempt to improve public service effectiveness but also ‘cultural efficacy’. The conclusions offer reflections relevant for theory and practice

Contracting for Social Cohesion: Can Local Area Agreements Make a Difference?

Summary. Under the Labour government, Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) in England were responsible for the delivery of Local Area Agreements (LAAs) – agreed targets between central and local government. This paper uses statistical techniques and local authority case studies to explore the impact of LAAs on LSPs’ efforts to promote social cohesion. The results suggest that LSPs with an LAA for social cohesion experienced a better rate of improvement in community cohesiveness than those without, and that tougher targets resulted in stronger improvement. The impact of changes in LSPs approaches to promoting social cohesion appears to be responsible for this finding

Local Government Size and Political Efficacy: Do Citizen Panels Make a Difference?

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Democratic theorists suggest that the size of local government is an important influence on citizens’ political efficacy. Typically, it is argued that small is beautiful for efficacy, because residents in areas served by smaller local governments are more likely to feel empowered to engage with decision-making. Nonetheless, it is conceivable that large governments can impart a higher degree of political efficacy by introducing structures that involve citizens more closely in decision-making. This paper examines these arguments by analysing whether jurisdiction size influences political efficacy in Welsh local government, and whether the presence of a citizen panel makes a difference to the size-efficacy relationship. Multi-level analyses suggest that size is negatively associated with internal and external political efficacy, but that larger local governments can overcome the burden of bigness for external efficacy through the use of citizen panels. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Deciphering disorder: participative institutions and conflicts in megaprojects in Mexico

open access articleThis article offers a map of «participatory institutions» (PI) that appear in conflict scenarios related to mining, hydrocarbons, wind and hydroelectric energy megaprojects in Mexico. The authors offer evidence of the existing gap between the implementation and the legal framework that regulates PI. Additionally, the authors suggest three possible outcomes pursued by the main actors involved in conflicts over megaprojects, which involve suboptimal exchanges: 1) preventing megaprojects, 2) decreasing violence and 3) obtaining pecuniary benefits towards the communities affected by megaprojects

Reflecting to Rebuild and Strengthen Professional Development A Collection of ‘Post-Online’ Conversations

The file attached to this record is the author's versionThis monograph is a multi-authored collection consisting of our faculty’s post-online reflections. The objective was to gather thoughts and discussion around teaching and research during COVID-19. We aim to build and explore around ‘lived experiences’ to provide a reference point to help Continuous Professional Learning and Development (CPLD) activities. The section on ‘digital diaries’ consists of dialogues from staff categorised into varied themes. In the testimonies, staff have reflected around their challenges, targets, strengths, familiarity and how they managed to overcome difficulties and achieve goals. A special section, from the Centre for Urban Research on Austerity (CURA), is devoted to identifying how pandemic has intensified research challenges, highlighting the funding, time and location constraints on academic research