Tony Gore

Public/private partnership schemes in UK urban regeneration: The role of joint enabling agencies

A major feature of recent urban renewal policy in the UK has been the partnership of public and private sector bodies in a variety of development projects.In order to promote such activity,several enabling agencies have been established. Initially these tended to orginate independently in the public or private spheres, but in the late 1980s the emphasis has been on collaboration, producing a range of joint enabling agencies. Two types, enterprise partnerships and development partnerships, may be identified according to the extent of their involvement in the development process. Both types promise programmes of widespread economic and social regeneration in their localities, but certain issues remain to be resolved.

URBAN REGENERATION AND TRANSPORT INVESTMENT: A CASE STUDY OF SHEFFIELD 1992-96

There has been little work exploring the impact of transport investment on economic regeneration at the urban scale. This lack of attention is in part related to theoretical inadequacies and methodological difficulties, not least the separating out and attribution of effects. Such issues were addressed by a major empirical study conducted in Sheffield during the early 1990s. This paper outlines the research methods adopted, which involved breaking down impacts into five thematic areas (image; property; land use; business location and operations; and labour market), and exploring the different mechanisms whereby effects might have become apparent in each. The findings from each of the themes are briefly summarised, the overall conclusion being that, in current circumstances, the impact of transport investment on regeneration is not particularly strong. In a broader policy context, however, the study also pointed to the improbability of securing regeneration benefits from transport infrastructure, given the lack of co-ordination and integration between the two policy areas, and the increasingly fragmented nature of urban governance in general.

Transport investment and regeneration. Sheffield: 1992-1997

At both national and international scales there is increasing policy debate regarding the relationships between transport investment and regeneration. Little detailed empirical work has been undertaken at the local level. Sheffield, an English provincial city, witnessed substantial transport investment in the early to mid 1990s: notably the South Yorkshire Supertram and extensive new/improved roads. A longitudinal study undertaken between 1992 and 1997 examined the effects of this investment on investors and external agents, the local development industry, existing businesses, and households. Few positive findings emerged partly because of the lack of integration amongst, and between, transport providers and development agencies.

The open method of coordination and policy mainstreaming: the European employment strategy and regional conversion programmes in the UK

This article is a critical exploration of the issues raised by the attempt to integrate aims and concerns derived from one European Union (EU) policy domain into another. It does this via an examination of the ways in which the European Employment Strategy (EES) has been taken into account in the design and initial implementation of Structural Fund programmes in the 2000–2006 round. In particular, it examines the nature of this ‘mainstreaming’ relationship in terms of the structures and mechanisms associated with current Objective 1 programmes operating in the UK. It maps out the vertical and horizontal linkages between European, national and regional levels, and assesses the extent to which strategic frameworks, programme guidance and programme content have successfully integrated EES considerations. The article concludes by identifying some implications for theories of European governance.

Governance and evaluation: The case of EU regional policy horizontal priorities

This paper argues that the framing of many programme evaluations tends to eschew any rigorous exploration of the governance aspects of programme design and implementation. This is illustrated by an examination of the method-based approach endorsed by the European Commission for the evaluation of its regional policy programmes. In line with previous work, this found that such evaluations, particularly those using management-based approaches, underplay the role of social and political agency in programme framing and implementation, and therefore in explaining outcomes. Acknowledging such factors is especially important in evaluating cross-cutting themes such as equal opportunities, environmental sustainability and social inclusion. Known as horizontal priorities in European Union policies, such issues at their heart reflect unease with the traditional functional organisation of the modern state, which while providing organisational efficiency gains for planning, is not able to cater for complex and multiple social realities in a postmodern world. Using evidence from South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, and in particular the Mid Term Evaluation of the 2000-2006 European Union Structural Funds Programme, the paper argues that a robust evaluation of such horizontal priorities has to incorporate the full range of governance factors. This is because their framing, implementation and possible achievements are contingent on, and shaped by, the mobilisation of social and political actors.

Institutional Influences on EU Funded Regional Technology Development in the UK: A Study of the Yorkshire and East London Regions in the 1990s

This paper seeks to place policy research undertaken in the Yorkshire and East London regions of the UK within the broader context of regional innovation system building. In particular, it attempts to draw out the releasing factors and conditions that shaped stakeholder relationships in these two EU Objective Two regions during the 1990s. This is undertaken with a view to drawing out conclusions about the extent of autonomy, institutional lock-in and compatibility within regional governance. The extent to which such EU stimulated influences are relevant to the practice of regional technological development is explored in areas which have experienced industrial restructuring.

The role of social networks and geographical location in labour market participation in the UK coalfields

The demise of the coalmining industry has entailed an increased geographical separation of individuals from workplaces, highlighting the importance of understanding the spatial dimension of job search for those living in the coalfields. There has been an increasing interest among labour market researchers on the role of place and social networks in influencing labour market behaviour. A growing body of literature focuses on the importance of social networks in shaping peoples attitudes, behaviour, and decision making—in particular, the links between peoples social sphere and the nature and extent of their participation in the labour market. We aim to examine the area effects of social networks and how these affect labour market position. We will draw on material gathered from a Joseph Rowntree Foundation funded project on the economic, social, and governance links between coalfields and their neighbouring cities. Part of this research was composed of eighty-five interviews carried out with unemployed job seekers across three contrasting coalfields (Lothian, South Yorkshire, and the central Wales valleys). We will focus in particular on the issues of accessing of South Wales jobs, knowledge and experience of the spatial labour market, and the role of social networks in influencing job search and job knowledge.

Rethinking the impact of regeneration on poverty: a (partial) defence of a 'failed' policy

For decades regeneration programmes in England targeted areas where spatial concentrations of poverty exist. These ‘area-based initiatives’ (ABIs) came under sustained attack, however, from the previous coalition government for being expensive and ineffective. This paper assesses this claim by re-evaluating past evidence on the impact of regeneration on poverty. It finds regeneration did relatively little to transform households’ material circumstances but significantly ameliorated negative experiences of living in poverty in relation to housing, community safety and the physical environment. This partially undermines the rationale for the policy shift away from neighbourhood renewal interventions toward the current focus on ‘local growth’ as the sole remedy for spatial inequalities. It also suggests a need for more nuance in wider critical accounts of regeneration as a deepening form of neoliberalism.