Abstract
The purpose of this article is to explore the extent, scope and nature of emerging networks in education and examine their implications for local governance. It draws on two sources: a case study of post-16 education, and an analysis of a wider examination of changes in public service management which includes three parallel network studies. From this it is proposed that the impact of recent legislative change has been to create a move away from control by single hierarchical organizations (local authorities) to a more dispersed governance operated through a complex range of organization markets and networks, creating costs, as well as benefits. Networks have emerged in an attempt to create integration and coherence in a system which has become fragmented, and in which accountability to the public has become dispersed.
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