Austerity and governance: coordinating policing and mental health policy in the UK

Carlos Solar and Martin Smith

Policy Studies, 2022, vol. 43, issue 2, 352-369

Abstract: Notions of network and polycentric governance highlight the possibility of innovation and adaptability in service delivery. At the same time, it has been argued that austerity and financial restrictions create intense pressures for public sector reform as public sector organizations look to new ways to deliver services. Hence the argument from governments in advanced democracies was that austerity would drive innovation. This article argues, through an analysis of the issue of policing and mental health in the UK, that network governance and polycentrism can be a significant constraint on reform when policy is delivered through multiple overlapping agencies, but with a lack of overarching authority. In the case of policing and mental health, introducing new governance arrangements is complex, much more so in a context of austerity. Resistance within organizations can oppose to novel forms of governance, and the new demands created by expenditure cuts further stress service delivery.

Date: 2022
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/01442872.2020.1711876 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:cposxx:v:43:y:2022:i:2:p:352-369

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/cpos20

DOI: 10.1080/01442872.2020.1711876

Access Statistics for this article

Policy Studies is currently edited by Toby James

More articles in Policy Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().