Territorial management in the ‘New Britain’: Towards devolution‐<i>plus</i>in northern Ireland?

Carmichael, Paul

doi:10.1080/13597569908421100

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Northern Ireland has been governed as a “place apart” (to quote Rose, 1971) since the partition of the island of Ireland a century ago. Five decades of devolution gave way to “Direct Rule” via the Northern Ireland Office in 1972, which was in turn superseded by what has been styled “devolution‐plus” with an Assembly and Executive from 1999 (Carmichael, 1999; Knox & Carmichael, 2005) and periodic interruptions when the parties have been unable to form a government and Northern Ireland has been governed by ministers working to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, most recently from 2017 to 2020.…”

Section: Fragmented Placesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fragmentation of public administration: Differentiated and decentered governance in the (dis)United Kingdom

Elliott

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Carmichael

et al. 2021

Public Administration

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This paper analyzes a UK polity that is characterized by fragmentation, differentiation, and decentered governance which is evident at multiple layers of public policy and administration. The development of devolved governments as well as ongoing debates around regional and local governance have created increasingly fragmented places. The intensification of policies associated with the new public management has fragmented the provision of public services. And the absence of a common approach to professional development has led to growing fragmentation of public service workers from different professions and sectors. We argue that these trends reflect many of the aspects of an advanced or late-stage new public governance. This is ripe territory for further research and demonstrates that UK public administration continues to have much to offer to international scholars. It also raises important questions about what forms of public administration might emerge next.

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Section: Fragmented Placesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fragmentation of public administration: Differentiated and decentered governance in the (dis)United Kingdom

Elliott

Bottom

Carmichael

et al. 2021

Public Administration

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“…3 Ambitions for transparency and responsiveness in the new institutions were particularly embedded in Scotland; indeed, 'access and participation' became one of the four key principles adopted by the consultative group tasked with drafting the detailed proposals on how Scotland's devolved institutions should operate (Consultative Steering Group 1999) In contrast, three factors underpinned the establishment of Northern Ireland's devolved institutions:1. Conflict resolution through mandatory powersharing -the 1998 Belfast Agreement that re-established devolved government attempted to stem chronic political violence by addressing not only constitutional and security matters but also human rights and social and economic inclusion(Wilford et al 2003), creating an architecture in which conflict resolution through political accommodation was the primary imperative(Carmichael 1999). 4 2.…”

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confidence: 99%

How Institutional Culture Trumps Tier Effects: Evidence from Government Responsiveness to FOI Requests

Poole

2018

Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory

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Claims that decentralization could improve government accountability and responsiveness led to its adoption as a policy objective across the globe. But recent empirical work finds little evidence of 'tier effects' in practice; instead, significant variation exists even between most-similar bodies. Recognizing the value of FOI in facilitating large-scale data collection, and that the UK's institutional diversity offers an important source of between-and within-tier variation, I compile a large new dataset by emailing two separate FOI requests to 812 UK public bodies with an executive function. Identifying significant variation in timeliness and quality between UK territories, I argue that differing foundational motives can help explain patterns of responsiveness between institutions established by transparency-facing reforms and those designed to resolve conflict. A lack of evidence that by lower-tier governments are generally more responsive reaffirms the recent challenges to the more fundamental claims about decentralization that informed academic debate and real-world practice.

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“…The NIA was established as part of two interrelated processes: constitutional devolution within the UK, and the political peace process in Northern Ireland. From the outset, the Assembly, established under the Belfast Agreement of 1998, reflected the dual aims of constitutional reform and conflict resolution (Carmichael, 1999; Horowitz, 2002; Tonge, 2005). After approximately 30 years of conflict (known as the Troubles), the Assembly was welcomed as a unique opportunity for inclusive political dialogue and mutual understanding (see Horowitz, 2002).…”

Section: The Socio-political Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discourse in the shadows: Discursive construction and the Northern Ireland Assembly

Wilson

Stapleton

2012

Discourse & Society

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Parliamentary discourse (PD) is shaped by pre-defined rules, which may be strategically transgressed to achieve political goals. Here, we examine a relatively unique form of PD, the discourse of the 'Shadow Assembly', which was tasked with establishing the procedures of the new Northern Ireland Assembly (1998). Using a discursive constructionist perspective, which emphasizes the intersection between social theory and sociolinguistics, we examine how Members of the Assembly vie to discursively establish the fundamental parameters of political behaviour within the Assembly. These included address terms, speaking rights and, indeed, which language members should speak. Hence, we have a rare opportunity to examine how discursive construction mediates the future forms of interactional limits and constraints. In particular, we consider PD in a context where the rules are not pre-established and there is, moreover, a strong history of socio-political conflict. We also consider the role of culture in shaping and constituting PD.

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Territorial management in the ‘New Britain’: Towards devolution‐plusin northern Ireland?

Cited by 5 publications

References 43 publications

The fragmentation of public administration: Differentiated and decentered governance in the (dis)United Kingdom

The fragmentation of public administration: Differentiated and decentered governance in the (dis)United Kingdom

How Institutional Culture Trumps Tier Effects: Evidence from Government Responsiveness to FOI Requests

Discourse in the shadows: Discursive construction and the Northern Ireland Assembly

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