Nirmala Rao

Representation in Local Politics: A Reconsideration and Some New Evidence

The concept of ‘representation’, and the tensions within it, have exercised writers throughout the history of political theory. There is little consensus beyond the agreement that the meaning of representation should be made clear, and consistency sought, in any particular application. This paper takes as its starting point some key components of the concept of representation, and in the light of them examines the changing attitudes of both representatives and electors in British local government. Survey data accumulated over a 30-year period provides the basis for this analysis, enabling attention to be given to trends over the period. Changing expectations of representativeness – a component of representation that stresses ‘resemblance’ or ‘symbolic identification’ – prompt a questioning of its appropriateness for the understanding of local politics today. The evidence indicates that the contemporary demand for responsive and responsible local government has now displaced the historic concern with representativeness.

Cities in Transition : Growth, Change and Governance in Six Metropolitan Areas

This is an up-to-date and topical treatment of how six major cities in Europe, North America and Asia are coping with the new demands on urban government. Population expansion, the migration of new peoples and disparities between cities and suburbs are longstanding features of the urban crisis. Today, city governments also face demands for popular participation and better public services while they struggle to position themselves in the new world economy. While each of the cities is located in its unique historical setting, the emphasis of the book is upon the common dilemmas raised by major planning problems and the search for more suitable approaches to governance and citizen involvement. A principal theme is the re-engineering of institutional structures designed to foster local responsiveness and popular participation. The discussion is set in the context of the globalizing forces that have impacted to different degrees, at different times, upon London, Tokyo, Toronto, Berlin, Hyderabad and Atlanta.

The Changing Context of Representation

Modern democracies provide a new context for thinking about old issues. Common to all such societies is an increasing emphasis on greater popular participation in decisions affecting communities. Calls for such involvement are paralleled by the introduction of mechanisms designed to promote it, mechanisms that have a remarkable similarity across nations. If responses are similar, so too are the problems they encounter and the tentative, even uncertain, spirit in which they are implemented. The fate of these experiments and the choice of approach are, however, conditioned by the specific historical and cultural traditions of societies which necessarily differ. As a result, countries develop styles of participation that reflect these differences. But underlying nationally distinct approaches to participation is a deeper commonality: disenchantment with the institutions and processes of representative government.

Place, personal characteristics and councillor roles: a multivariate analysis of survey data

The government proposals on the structure and internal management of local government put forward in 1991 raise important questions for the representative and decision-making roles of councillors. A re-analysis of data collected for the Widdicombe committee in 1985 was conducted, using multiple regression. The findings suggest that the time councillors spend on different council activites is significantly affected by a number of locality variables, including party control, authority type and representative ratio, and by personal characteristic variables, including income and party affiliation. Representative ratio also appears to have an influence upon the characteristics of the councillors themselves. The implications for the reorganisation of local government are explored.

The recruitment of representatives in British local government: pathways and barriers

The classical model of political recruitment formulated in the United States is re-examined in the light of British evidence on the recruitment of local elected representatives. Drawing together survey evidence from the last 30 years, this article reviews the key components of motivations, resources and opportunities. A complementary focus on pathways and barriers to office highlights the importance of political party politics in the British context. Examination of the evidence shows that while parties provide an important pathway to political participation, they also act as a barrier to recruitment to council services.

Representation under Strain: the British Experience

The election of the Blair government in May 1997 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the long-running debate about the reform of local government in Britain. Issues of local authority finance and decision-taking are central to the government’s programme of ‘modernisation’. Options for local cabinets and for directly or indirectly elected mayoral systems, set out in the July 1998 White Paper Modern Local Government: In Touch with People (DETR, 1998), force a rethink of the roles that councillors play and of the kinds of people who stand for election to their local council.

Institutional Reforms in Local Government

This book addresses key issues in the reform of local government worldwide. What new concerns have given rise to such reforms? What happens when established institutions are transformed? Will reform bring about the desired effects on political leadership and the democratic process, or do unintended consequences follow? Are these effects influenced by local and national political cultures? By finding answers to these questions, we hope to broaden our understanding of local government institutions and political leadership in particular. To date, with the exception of Mouritzen and Svara (2002), there have been few studies of local government institutions in the West. By comparing local government forms and the democratic concerns embedded in them — political leadership, political accountability, the involvement of lay politicians, recruitment and professionalism — this book exposes some of the similarities and differences in institutional impact across 11 selected Western countries.