Matthews, F. orcid.org/0000-0002-3248-5386 (2018) Does decentralisation make a difference? Comparing the democratic performance of central and regional governing systems in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 20 (2). pp. 341-359. ISSN 1369-1481
Abstract
Decentralisation is frequently justified in terms of representation and participation, its advocates emphasising the capacity of regional institutions to remedy the democratic deficiencies of the centre. Yet empirical examinations of the democratic performance of regional governing systems are scarce; and there is no analysis that systematically compares the operation of different tiers within the same state. This article responds to this significant lacuna. Drawing upon the tools of cross-national comparison, it develops an analytical framework that evaluates the effects of regional and national institutions on the dispersal of electoral payoffs. This is applied to the United Kingdom, to compare the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales with Westminster. Through this analysis, the article provides important empirical insights regarding the difference wrought by decentralisation; and in turn, contributes to a burgeoning body of literature that offers a more critical assessment of the relationship between decentralisation and such democratic goods.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 The Author(s). This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in British Journal of Politics and International Relations. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | proportionality; representation; office payoffs and policy payoffs; devolution and regionalism; United Kingdom |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Politics and International Relations (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number BRITISH ACADEMY (THE) SG131355 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 04 Oct 2017 14:47 |
Last Modified: | 23 Feb 2024 15:40 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/1369148117737519 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:122026 |