Abstract
The Lyons Inquiry into Local Government has introduced the English local government community to the concept of ‘place-shaping’. Place-shaping refers to the new role for local governments in promoting the well-being of communities and citizens. The processes of place-shaping are remarkably similar to the processes of nation-building. This paper uses Stein Rokkan’s thinking on nation-building in Western Europe to analyse place-shaping. It focuses on the penetration and standardisation processes and underlines the importance of integrating peripheries, defining boundaries, and creating identities. In essence, it is argued that place-shaping is really about the repolitisation of English local authorities.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 23-33 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Lex Localis - Journal of Local Self-Government |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Research programs
- ESSB PA
- EUR ESSB 25