Urban Policy-Making : Influences on County Boroughs in England and Wales

Dr Boaden demonstrates variations among county boroughs in expenditure on eight varied local services, and relates these to social, economic, political and administrative features of these authorities. Using simple and partial correlation analysis he attempts to isolate the main influences on policy-making in each substantive area.

This book was originally published in 1971. Historically, studies have tended to concentrate on formal characteristics of structure and organisation and to treat local authorities as limited agents of central government rather than independent policy-making bodies. Dr Boaden's study is unusual in the British context in that he examines local authority action as a product of local conditions, and includes political and administrative factors in the analysis. Dr Boaden first demonstrates variations among county boroughs in expenditure on eight varied local services, and relates these to social, economic, political and administrative features of these authorities. Using simple and partial correlation analysis he attempts to isolate the main influences on policy-making in each substantive area, using a framework for conducting the study based on an interaction of local needs, disposition and resources. Urban Policy-Making is an attempt to undertake policy analysis as opposed to issue analysis, in order to guide research.