Rescaling the State Devolution and the Geographies of Economic Governance

Rescaling the state provides a theoretically-informed and empirically-rich account of the process of devolution undertaken in the UK since 1997, focusing in particular on the devolution of economic governance. Using case studies from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the book examines the purported reasons for, and the unintended consequences of, devolution. As well as comparing policy and practice across the four devolved territories, the book also explores the pitfalls and instances of good practice associated with devolution in the UK. Rescaling the state thus advances our knowledge and understanding of devolution on both a theoretical and empirical front. In a theoretical context, the book promotes the novel and important notion of the 'filling in' of the state as a way of understanding the particularities of the devolution settlements in each of the four territories, as new and alternative configurations of state-society relations emerge. In an empirical context, the book provides the only comprehensive account of the impact of devolution on forms of economic governance in the four territories, drawing on detailed qualitative research with key stakeholders and extensive documentary research. Rescaling the state is an important text for all social scientists - particularly political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists and human geographers - interested in the devolution of power in the UK - and, through the concept of 'filling in', all instances of contemporary state restructuring. It is also a significant book for all policy-makers interested in understanding the increasing complexity of the policy landscapes of economic governance in the UK.