1st Edition

The Rise of the English Regions?

Edited By Irene Hardill, Paul Benneworth, Mark Baker, Leslie Budd Copyright 2006
    320 Pages
    by Routledge

    320 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book analyzes devolution as it affects the English Regions, working from the perspective of uneven development, and drawing on the rich tradition of regional geography. Currently, London is the power centre ruling over the other English regions. The first part of the book looks at how this regional structure has arisen, and the theories that can be used to analyze it. The contributors discuss the nature of regional problems and governance, the institutions involved in regional governance and regional approaches to economic development.

    The second part of the book devotes a chapter to each English region, examining each region’s unique characteristics, and the opportunities created for it by devolution. By looking carefully at the regions, this part of the book sheds light on the question of whether Regional governance benefits the regions, or simply rescales governance to introduce another layer of bureaucracy.

    Part I  1. The Rise of the English Regions: An Introduction Paul Benneworth, Irene Hardill, Mark Baker and Leslie Budd  2. Regions and Regional Identity Peter Roberts and Mark Baker  3. The ‘Rise’ of the Region: the English Context to the 81 Raging Academic Debates Paul Benneworth  4. The Limits to Devolution Andrew Wood, David Valler, Nick Phelps, Mike Raco and Pete Shirlow  5. Harnessing All a Region's Capacities: Inclusion Issues Irene Hardill, Mia Gray and Paul Benneworth  Part II  6. Introduction Irene Hardill and Paul Benneworth  7. Where and What is the North East of England? Dave Byrne and Paul Benneworth  8. The North West: Cultural Coherence and Institutional Fragmentation  Christopher Wilson and Mark Baker  9. Yorkshire and the Humber Tony Gore and Catherine Jones  10. The West Midlands: the 'Hinge' in the Middle Anne Green and Nigel Berkeley  11. The East Midlands: the Missing Middle Irene Hardill, Chris Bentley and Mike Cuthbert  12. The East of England: A Nebulous Region in Transition Mia Gray, Ron Martin and Peter Tyler  13. The South West Economy: Potential for Faster Economic Development Amer Hirmis 14. Looking for the South East Allan Cochrane  15. London: From City-State to City-Region? Leslie Budd  16. Conclusions Paul Benneworth, Irene Hardill, Peter Roberts, Mark Baker and Leslie Budd

    Biography

    Irene Hardill is Professor of Economic Geography at the Nottingham Trent University Graduate School, Business, Law and Social Sciences, and is currently Secretary and Vice Chair of the Regional Studies Association. She has a long standing research interest in the meaning of ‘work’ (paid and unpaid) in its broadest sense to individuals, households and communities.

    Dr Paul Benneworth is a Research Councils UK Academic Fellow in Territorial Governance at the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and a visiting fellow at the Institute for Governance Studies, University of Twente, the Netherlands.

    Mark Baker is a Senior Lecturer in Planning Policy & Practice and the current Head of Planning and Landscape within the School of Environment and Development at Manchester University. He is a chartered town planner with previous professional planning experience in UK local and central government. His teaching and research interests focus on the operation of the UK planning system and, especially, regional and strategic planning.

    Leslie Budd is Reader in Social Enterprise at the Open University Business School at the Open University. He is an economist who has written widely on the relationship between regional economic development and growth and international financial markets. He has worked at a number of universities and research centres in the UK, France and Germany. Leslie is currently Chair of the Regional Studies Association and was born in London where he still lives.