UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
THE BARTLETT SCHOOL OF PLANNING

MPhil Town Planning Year One
Political and Economic Analysis:
URBAN POLITICS
Spring Term 2002

Tutor: Dr. Susan Batty 
Tuesdays: 2.00pm – 4.00pm
Room:  401   
Spring Term only

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This course explores the governmental and political contexts within which local planning decisions are made. The course provides opportunities to debate not only competing theories of local governance but also the values of current views of local government reform. The course uses seminars to explore the institutions and processes of local government. 

GENERAL EDUCATIONAL AIMS

The aims are to gain knowledge of the workings of local political institutions and the political context of urban planning; to develop an awareness of the theoretical bases of debates about local democracy, autonomy and accountability; and to develop an understanding of the interacting roles of key actors.

COURSE CONTENT

The course includes: the need for local government, its functions and historical trends; theories of local democracy and institutional structure, public participation and locality; central -local relationships; key actors and their roles, including the new role for mayors and cabinet style local government; urban local democracy from mainstream democratic involvement (through elections and party politics) to forms of unconventional participation.

TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

Five two-hour seminars. Participation in the discussions is seen as a vital part of the course. 

ASSESSMENT

A 2,000 word essay to be submitted by the last day of term. The topic is to be agreed with the tutor before Reading Week. The essay should explore a theoretical perspective on local politics using a planning case study or planning narrative as an illustration or example.

PROGRAMME

1.	8 January 	Introduction: Government at the local level 

2.       	15 January 	Theories of Democracy and Local Government: pluralism, participation and 
		local responsiveness:

		D.Beetham (1996) Theorising Democracy and Local Government in 			Rethinking Local Democracy edited by King and Stoker  Basingstoke: 			Macmillan pp 28-49

		E.Frazer  (1996) The Value of Locality in Rethinking Local Democracy 		edited by King and Stoker Basingstoke: Macmillan pp 89-110

		C.Rallings, M.Temple and M.Thrasher  (1994) chapter 2 Sense of identity 		with locality in Community Identity and Participation in Local Democracy  		Commission for Local Democracy CLD research report No 1 May 1994 

Stewart J (2000) The Nature of British Local Government Macmillan (chapters 5 and 6)

3.    	22 January	Theories of Local Politics: the public administration tradition; public choice 		theory; Dual State theory; local state, Neo-Marxist approaches

		G.Stoker (1991) The Politics of Local Government 2nd edition Basingstoke: 		Macmillan chapter 10
 
K.Dowding (1996) Public Choice and Local Governance in Rethinking Local Democracy edited by King and Stoker Basingstoke: Macmillan pp. 50-66
		
		K.Walsh (1996) Public Services, Efficiency and Local Democracy in 			Rethinking Local Democracy edited by King and Stoker Basingstoke: 			Macmillan pp 67-88
 
		H.Wolman (1995) Local Government Institutions and Democratic 			Government in Judge, Stoker and Wolman Theories of Urban Politics 			London: Sage pp 135-159

		M.Keating (1995) Size, Efficiency and Democracy: Consolidation, 			Fragmentation and Public Choice in Judge, Stoker and Wolman Theories of 		Urban Politics London: Sage pp 118-134 

		C.Pickvance (1995) Marxist Theories of Urban Politics in Judge, Stoker and 		Wolman Theories of Urban Politics London: Sage pp 254-275

4.	29 January	Key Actors:  Councillors and Officers; Bureaucrats and Professionals

		Bryan D Jones (1995) Bureaucrats and Urban Politics in Judge, Stoker and 		Wolman Theories of Urban Politics London: Sage pp72-95

Byrne T (2000) Local Government in Britain Seventh Edition Penguin (chapters 8-10)

		D.Wilson and C.Game (1994) Local Government in the United Kingdom 		Macmillan chapters12 to 15

			DETR (1998) Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People HMSO 			Cm 4014 

		London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham "How should we run the 		council?" web page: http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/

Stewart J (2000) The Nature of British Local Government Macmillan (chapters 4, 11 and 12)

	
5.	5 February	Key actors: Citizens and consumers; parties and interest groups
		
Byrne T (2000) Local Government in Britain Seventh Edition Penguin (chapters 7 and 13)

		D.Wilson and C.Game (1994) Local Government in the United Kingdom 		Macmillan chapter 16

		G.Stoker (1991) The Politics of Local Government 2nd edition Basingstoke: 		Macmillan chapter 5

(Week 6 Reading Week: Weeks 7-10 Economic Analysis sessions)

GENERAL REFERENCES

Byrne T (2000) Local Government in Britain Seventh Edition Penguin

Castells M (1977) The Urban Question: A Marxist Approach  London: Edward Arnold

Castells M (1978) City ,Class and Power London: Macmillan

Cochrane A (1993) Whatever Happened to Local Government Open University Press

Cockburn C (1977) The Local State London:Pluto

Davies H and J.Stewart (1994) The Growth of Government by Appointment: Implications for Local Democracy Local Government Management Board

DETR (1998) Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People HMSO Cm 4014

Elcock H (1994) Local Government Methuen 

Gyford J et al (1989) The Changing Politics of Local Government Unwin Hyman

Hampton W (1991) Local Government and Urban Politics Longmans

Harvey D (1989) The Urban Experience Oxford: Basil Blackwell

Hogett P and R.Hambleton (eds) (1987) Decentralisation and Democracy  School of Advanced Urban Studies 

Judge D, G.Stoker and H.Wolman (1995) Theories of Urban Politics Sage

King D and G. Stoker (editors) (1996)Rethinking Local Democracy  Basingstoke: Macmillan

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham "How should we run the council?" web page: http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/

Miller W(1988) Irrelevant Elections? The Quality of Local Democracy in Britain. Open University Press (especially chapter 17)

Rallings C, M.Temple and M.Thrasher  (1994) chapter 2 "Sense of identity with locality" in Community Identity and Parti cipation in Local Democracy  Commission for Local Democracy CLD research report No 1 May 1994 

Phillips A (1994) Local Democracy: The Terms of the Debate Commission for Local Democracy

Saunders P (1986) Social Theory and the Urban Question  2nd edition London: Hutchinson

Stewart J (2000) The Nature of British Local Government Macmillan

Stewart J and G.Stoker (1995) Local Government in the 1990's Macmillan

Stoker G (1991) The Politics of Local Government 2nd edition Macmillan

Wilson D and C Game (1994) Local Government in the United Kingdom Macmillan

SB January 2002