How low can you go? Rationales and challenges for neighbourhood governance

摘要: Associated with innovation in both democratic practice and service design, neighbourhoods are high on policy agendas across Europe. Drawing upon classic debates about size devolution, the article identifies four distinct rationales for neighbourhood governance: civic, social, political economic. In England, ‘new localism’ agenda gets near to developing a comprehensive case governance, drawing all rationales. Options institutional design explored reference ideal types: (1) empowerment; (2) partnership; (3) government; (4) management. Key challenges governance analysed terms of capacity, competence, diversity equity. The argues that democracy/capacity trade-off associated small units needs be re-thought context governance’ (multi-level, multi-actor e-enabled). Rather than confronting one big trade-off, designers face series questions underlying purposes priorities governance.