This article deploys a concept of multiscalarity to criticise current theoretical approaches to governance and to make sense of neighbourhood governance. Drawing on Kooiman’s distinction between hierarchical, self- and co-governance, it is argued, first, that state strategies need to be re-examined in the light of the multiscalarity of governance. Using the example of the neighbourhood and evidence from the author’s own research, the article then provides a detailed illustration of governance multiscalarity. The article has two notably original findings: empirically, only community and residents’ associations have sufficient independence to resist governmental forces on the neighbourhood scale (and these associations have to scale up their activities in order to have any chance of success); and theoretically, the societal predominance of hierarchical governance can be explained largely in terms of asymmetry in the conditions for trans-scalar organisation, with coordination from top downwards being typically easier to achieve than from bottom upwards.
Bang H. ( 2005) Among Everyday Makers and Expert Citizens. in Newman J (ed) Remaking Governance: Peoples, Politics and the Public Sphere. Bristol: The Policy Press.
2.
Barnes M., Newman J. and Sullivan H. ( 2007) Power, Participation and Political Renewal: Case Studies in Public Participation. Bristol: The Policy Press.
3.
Bevan M. ( 2003) New Parish and Town Councils in Urban Areas: Communities and DIY Democracy. York, UK: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
4.
Bevir M. ( 2003) Narrating the British State: An Interpretive Critique of New Labour’s Institutionalism. Review of International Political Economy10(3): 455-480.
5.
Birch D., Brown E., Coleman R., et al. (1979) The Behavioral Foundations of Neighborhood Change. Washington DC: USGPO/ HUD.
6.
Boudreau J-A and Keil R. ( 2001) Seceding from Responsibility? Secession Movements in Los Angeles. Urban Studies38(10): 1701-1731.
7.
Bray D. ( 2006) Building ‘Community’: New Strategies of Governance in Urban China. Economy and Society35(4): 530-549.
8.
Brenner N. ( 2004) New State Spaces: Urban Governance and the Rescaling of Statehood. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
9.
Brenner N. and Theodore N. ( 2002) Spaces of Neoliberalism: Urban Restructuring in North America and Western Europe. Oxford: Blackwell.
10.
Bridge G., Forrest R. and Holland E. ( 2004) Neighbouring: A Review of the Evidence. ESRC Centre for Neighbourhood Research. Retrieved July 2008 from www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/cnrpaperspdf/cnr24pap.pdf .
11.
Buonfino A. and Hilder P. ( 2006) Neighbouring in Contemporary Britain. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
12.
Christopoulos D. ( 2006) Relational Attributes of Political Entrepreneurs: A Network Perspective. Journal of European Public Policy13(5): 757-778.
13.
Clarke M. and Stewart J. ( 1994) The Local Authority and the New Community Governance. Regional Studies28: 201-219.
14.
Clarke M. and Stewart J. ( 1999) Community Governance, Community Leadership and the New Local Government. York: JRF/ YPS.
15.
Cochrane A. ( 2004) Modernisation, Managerialism and the Culture Wars: Reshaping the Local Welfare State in England. Local Government Studies30(4): 481-96.
16.
Copus C. ( 2004) Party Politics and Local Government. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
17.
Cornwall A. and Coelho V. ( 2004) New Democratic Spaces? Institute of Development Studies Bulletin35(2): 1-10.
18.
Cornwall A. and Coelho V. ( 2006) Spaces for Change? The Politics of Citizen Participation in New Democratic Arenas. London/ New York: Zed Books.
19.
Corry D. and Stoker G. ( 2002) New Localism: Refashioning the Centre-Local Relationship . London: New Local Government Network .
20.
DeFilippis J., Fisher R. and Shragge E. ( 2006) Neither Romance Nor Regulation: Re-evaluating Community . International Journal of Urban and Regional Research30(3): 673-689.
21.
Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) ( 2004) Firm Foundations: The Government’s Framework for Community Capacity Building. London: DCLG.
22.
Fung A. and Wright EO ( 2003) Deepening Democracy: Institutional Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance. London: Verso.
23.
Galster G. ( 2001) On the Nature of Neighbourhood. Urban Studies38(12): 2111-2124.
24.
Geddes M. ( 2006) Partnership and the Limits to Local Governance in England: Institutionalist Analysis and Neoliberalism. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research30(1): 76-97.
25.
Habermas J. ( 1974) The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article (1964), tr. Lennox s, lennox F. New German Critique 3: 49-55.
26.
Harvey D. ( 1982) Limits to Capital. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
27.
Hastings A., Flint J., McKenzie C. and Mills C. ( 2005) Cleaning Up Neighbourhoods: Environmental Problems and Service Provision in Deprived Neighbourhoods. Bristol: The Policy Press/Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
28.
Hilder P. ( 2005) Seeing the Wood for the Trees: The Evolving Landscape for Neighbourhood Arrangements. London: The Young Foundation.
29.
Hilder P. ( 2006) Local Democracy and Neighbourhood Governance. London: The Young Foundation.
30.
Home Office ( 2006) Respect Action Plan. London: Respect Task Force, Home Office.
31.
Jenkins G. ( 2006) Putting the Public in Public Ownership. Red Pepper143(July).
32.
Jessop B. ( 2002) The Future of the Capitalist State. Cambridge: Polity Press.
33.
Jones A., Burnley J., Cox E. and Newman I. ( 2005) The Potential of Parish and Town Councils to Support Neighbourhood Arrangements. London: Local Government Information Unit.
34.
Jupp B. ( 2000) Living Together: Community Life on Mixed Tenure Estates . London: Demos.
35.
Kearns A. and Parkinson M. ( 2001) The Significance of Neighbourhood. Urban Studies38(12): 2103-2110.
36.
Keil A. ( 2006) New Urban Governance Processes on the Level of Neighbourhoods . European Planning Studies14(3): 335-364.
37.
Kennett P. and Forrest R. ( 2006) The Neighbourhood in aEuropean Context. Urban Studies43(4): 713-718.
38.
Kingsnorth P. ( 2003) One No, Many Yeses: A Journey to the Heart of the Global Resistance Movement. London: The Free Press.
39.
Kooiman J. ( 2005) Governing as Governance. London: SAGE.
40.
Leach S. and Pratchett L. ( 2005) Local Government: A New Vision, Rhetoric or Reality?Parliamentary Affairs58(2): 318-334.
41.
Le Galès P. ( 1998) Regulations and Governance in European Cities. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research20(3): 482-507.
42.
Lepine E., Smith I., Sullivan H. and Taylor M. ( 2007) Introduction: of Neighbourhoods and Governance. in Smith I, Lepine E and Taylor M (eds) Disadvantaged by Where You Live? Neighbourhood Governance in Contemporary Urban Policy. Bristol: The Policy Press.
43.
Levitas R. ( 2000) Community, utopia and New Labour. Local Economy15(3): 188-197.
44.
Liedholm M., Lindberg G. ( 1995) Tenant Power in Progress. Paper presented to European Network for Housing Research Working Group, Vienna, 3-5 May.
45.
Lowndes V. and Sullivan H. ( 2004) Like a Horse and Carriage or a Fish on a Bicycle? How Well do Local Partnerships and Participation go Together? Local Government Studies30(1): 51-73.
46.
Maguire K. and Truscott F. ( 2006) Active Governance: The Value Added by Community Involvement in Governance through Local Strategic Partnerships. York : Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
47.
Mansbridge J. ( 1980) Beyond Adversary Democracy. Chicago : University of Chicago Press.
48.
Melo M. and Baiocchi G. ( 2006) Deliberative Democracy and Local Governance: Towards A New Agenda. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research30(3): 587-600.
49.
Mossberger K. and Stoker G. ( 2001) The Evolution of Regime Theory: The Challenge of Conceptualisation . Urban Affairs Review36(6): 810-835.
50.
Mulgan G. and Bury F. ( 2006) Double Devolution: The Renewal of Local Government. London: Smith Institute.
51.
National Association of Local Councils (2003-5 ) Good Practice Examples. Online document no longer available: www.nalc.gov.uk.
52.
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) ( 2005) Citizen Engagement and Public Services: Why Neighbourhoods Matter. London: ODPM.
53.
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) ( 2006) Research Report 23: Neighbourhood Management - At the Turning Point?London: ODPM.
54.
Peck J. and Tickell A. ( 2002) Neoliberalising Space. Antipode34(3): 380-404.
55.
Perrons D., Skyers S. ( 2004) Challenging Injustices through Status Recognition: Conceptual Explorations and a Case Study of the Shoreditch New Deal Partnership . Retrieved July 2008 from www.lse.ac.uk/collections/geographyAndEnvironment/research/Researchpapers/rp66.pdf.
56.
Phelps N. and Tewdwr-Jones M. ( 2004) Institutions, Collaborative Governance and the Diversity of Social Action. in Wood A and Valler D (eds) Governing Local and Regional Economies: Institutions, Politics and Economic Development. Aldershot:Ashgate.
57.
Purdue D. ( 2005) Community Leadership Cycles and the Consolidation of Neighbourhood Coalitions in the New Local Governance. Public Management Review7(2): 247-266.
58.
Robinson F., Shaw K. and Davidson G. ( 2005) ‘On the Side of the Angels’: Community Involvement in the Governance of Neighbourhood Renewal. Local Economy20(1): 13-26.
59.
Rose N. ( 1996) The Death of the Social? Reconfiguring the Territory of Government. Economy and Society25(3): 327-356.
60.
Rose N. ( 1999) Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
61.
Skidmore P., Bound K. and Lownsbrough H. ( 2006) Community Participation: Who Benefits?York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
62.
Smith I, Lepine E and Taylor M (eds) (2007) Disadvantaged by Where You Live? Neighbourhood Governance in Contemporary Urban Policy. Bristol: The Policy Press.
63.
Smith M. and Sullivan H. ( 2003) Developing Frameworks for Examining Community Participation in a Multi-level Environment. Local Economy18(3): 237-252.
64.
Somerville P. ( 2004) State Rescaling and Democratic Transformation. Space & Polity8(2): 137-156.
65.
Somerville P. ( 2005) Community Governance and Democracy. Policy & Politics33(1): 117-144.
66.
Somerville P. and Haines N. ( 2008) Prospects for Local Co-governance. Local Government Studies34(1): 61-79.
67.
Somerville P. and Steele A. ( 1995) Making Sense of Tenant Participation. Netherlands Journal of Housing and the Built Environment10(3): 259-281.
68.
Somerville P., van Beckhoven E. and van Kempen R. ( 2009) The Decline and Rise of Neighbourhoods: The Importance of Neighbourhood Governance. European Journal of Housing Policy9(1): 25-44.
69.
Stewart M. ( 2003) Towards Collaborative Capacity. in Boddy M (ed) Urban Transformation and Urban Governance. Bristol: The Policy Press.
70.
Stoker G. ( 2004) Transforming Local Governance. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan.
71.
Sullivan H. ( 2001) Modernisation, Democratisation and Community Governance . Local Government Studies27(3): 1-24.
72.
Sullivan H. ( 2002) Modernisation, Neighbourhood Management and Social Inclusion . Public Management Review4(4): 505-528.
73.
Sullivan H. and Howard J. ( 2005) National Evaluation of Local Strategic Partnerships 2002-2005. Issues paper: ‘Below the Local Strategic Partnership’. Bristol: Cities Research Centre, University of the West of England.
74.
Suttles G. ( 1972) The Social Construction of Communities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
75.
Swyngedouw E. ( 2000) Authoritarian Governance, Power and the Politics of Re-scaling . Environment and Planning18: 63-76.
76.
Swyngedouw E. ( 2004) Globalisation or ‘Glocalisation’? Networks, Territories and Re-scaling. Cambridge Review of International Affairs17(1): 25-48.
77.
Taylor M. ( 2000) Top Down Meets Bottom Up: Neighbourhood Management. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
78.
Wadhams C. ( 2006) An Opportunity Waiting to Happen - Housing Associations as Community Anchors. London: Housing Associations Charitable Trust.
79.
Wainwright H. ( 2003) Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy. London: Verso.
80.
Wallace A. ( 2007) ‘We Have Had Nothing So Long That We Don’t Know What to Ask for’: New Deal for Communities and the Regeneration of Socially Excluded Terrain. Social Policy & Society6(1): 1-12.
81.
White G., Dickinson S., Miles N., Richardson L., Russell H. and Taylor M. ( 2006) Exemplars of Neighbourhood Governance. London: Department of Communities and Local Government .
82.
Whitehead M. ( 2003) Love thy Neighbour - Rethinking the Politics of Scale and Walsall’s Struggle for Neighbourhood Democracy. Environment and Planning A35: 277-300.
83.
Worpole K. and Knox K. ( 2007) The Social Value of Public Spaces. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
84.
Wright J., Parry J., Mathers J., Jones S. and Orford J. ( 2007) Assessing the Participatory Potential of Britain’s New Deal for Communities. Policy Studies27(4): 347-361.
