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An incisive examination of Britain today, which breaks from traditional studies, and takes a new approach to account for massive changes in the make-up of the nation. Over the last twenty years Britain has changed from being governed as a unitary state to a country ruled by the interplay of various forces: central government, the market, public-private partnerships, new local government structures (eg. the new Mayoral system), greater regional autonomy as well as the EU and transnational businesses and organizations. In their earlier book Interpreting British Governance, Bevir and Rhodes examined changes in British government by setting out an interpretative approach to British political science, which focussed on an aggregate analysis of British political traditions. This new study builds on this work to: provide a theoretical defence of situated agency located in the historical context of British political science compare their approach to British political science with others including, post-structural and institutional analysis present a general account of governance as the context for ethnographic analyses of governance in action deliver studies of the consumers of public services, the National Health Service, government departments and policy networks. This book will be of great interest to advanced students and researchers of political theory, public policy, British politics and British history.
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Governance Stories In contrast to conventional approaches to political science, this book develops an interpretative approach to governance theory. In their earlier book Interpreting British Governance, Bevir and Rhodes sought to understand changes in British government by setting out an interpretative approach to British political science, which focused on an aggregate analysis of British political traditions. Here, Bevir and Rhodes argue that situated agency, the analysis of people’s webs of belief and actions located in the inherited traditions and practices that inform them, plays a key role in interpretative political science. This book: ● ● ● ● provides a theoretical defence of situated agency; compares their approach to British political science with other forms of enquiry, including post-structural and institutional analysis; provides a general account of governance as the context for ethnographic analyses of governance in action; includes studies of the ‘Blair presidency’, the National Health Service, government departments and the police. This new volume presents a major challenge to present-day political science. It will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in political theory, public policy, British politics and British history. Mark Bevir is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Roderick Rhodes is Professor of Political Science and Head of Program in the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. Routledge Advances in European Politics 1 Russian Messianism Third Rome, revolution, Communism and after Peter J. S. Duncan 12 The European Union and e-Voting Addressing the European Parliament’s internet voting challenge Edited by Alexander H. Trechsel and Fernando Mendez 2 European Integration and the Postmodern Condition Governance, democracy, identity Peter van Ham 13 European Union Council Presidencies A comparative perspective Edited by Ole Elgström 3 Nationalism in Italian Politics The stories of the Northern League, 1980–2000 Damian Tambini 14 European Governance and Supranational Institutions Making states comply Jonas Tallberg 4 International Intervention in the Balkans since 1995 Edited by Peter Siani-Davies 15 European Union, NATO and Russia Martin Smith and Graham Timmins 5 Widening the Europe