Devolution, fragmented governance and strategy making in the English regions. : A case study of the East Midlands. (Work group 3: Could regional planning play a dominant role in shaping regional governance?).

Over the past few years, a process of devolution has brought enhanced powers and responsibilities to the nations and regions of the UK. In England, a plethora of new regional agencies and institutions was established and numerous strategies and other policy documents emerged in the regions. The design of the devolution project in combination with a historically fragile standing of regions in England, however, has caused severe problems: The new structures of regional governance are fragmented and the level of coherence between the various strategies and policy making exercises is often low. The article examines the approach taken in the East Midlands to overcome these problems by introducing an Integrated Regional Strategy (IRS). This strategy has been prepared by a number of regional stakeholders and aims to provide a common framework for the development and implementation of strategies in the region.;