England Archives – Decentralization Net

Can devolution transform the British state?

November 5, 2026 LPS Alliance

For decades, the United Kingdom has been something of a paradox in the international landscape of multilevel governance. Despite its deep regional identities and pronounced territorial inequalities, it remains one of the most centralized countries […]

Fiscal decentralization and local government efficiency: Does relative deprivation matter?

July 1, 2018 LPS Alliance

Fiscal decentralization arguably improves government efficiency because it enhances responsiveness to local policy issues and incentivizes fiscal discipline. However, critics suggest that central control over local spending is necessary to equalize fiscal outcomes between prosperous […]

Citizens’ Blame of Politicians for Local Public Service Failure

January 15, 2016 LPS Alliance

Theories of blame suggest that contracting out public service delivery reduces citizens’ blame of politicians for service failure. The authors use an online experiment with 1,000 citizen participants to estimate the effects of information cues […]

The Four Deficits of the English Devolution Process

December 21, 2015 LPS Initiative

The issue of devolution is squarely on the agenda. Yet despite appearing to have obtained the coveted policy position of a principle without political enemies, the devolution mission itself is not guided by any clear […]

Accountability and Transparency in English Local Government: Moving from ‘Matching Parts’ to ‘Awkward Couple’?

August 29, 2015 LPS Alliance

Although excessive transparency and accountability demands can have a counterproductive effect on organisational performance (Bovens, 2005), longstanding hierarchical accountability structures to ensure financial conformance in English local government continue to endure. Interestingly however, the previously […]