Geographical displacement or diffusion of benefit around area based interventions? Evidence from the New Deal for Communities

Area-based interventions (ABIs) have been a popular policy approach since the 1960s at least in the UK context yet they are bedevilled by concerns that gains in the intervention area may be a result of displacement of problems to neighbouring areas. The arrival of the New Labour government in 1997 saw a surge in ‘localism’ of a variety of forms, including the innovative and intensive New Deal for Communities ABI. This paper presents findings of a national evaluation of the crime strand of the NDC Programme which focussed on assessing evidence of geographical displacement.