Neoliberalism and local governance : global contrasts and research priorities

Today, neoliberalism has become a key reference point for many critical analyses of contemporary local governance. Of course, there remain the occasional ‘neoliberalism deniers’ who claim to find a lack of coherence in the concept, and perhaps rather more who give a cursory nod to neoliberalism without really engaging substantively. But for many others neoliberalism (or, better, the process of neoliberalisation) provides a conceptual foundation from which not just to understand better the bigger picture behind the array of changes and trends which have transformed local government (the 3 Ps - privatisation, partnership, participation etc) but to develop a critique in a way which might help to point towards more progressive alternatives.