In this paper we are concerned with the measurement of aspects of population distribution, or settlement patterns, and the use of these measures in public-policy contexts in particular. More specifically, we query the adequacy of the population-density indicator, which is widely used in...

Current arguments in Australia concerning horizontal fiscal equalisation may help inform the debate in the United Kingdom concerning possible changes to the Barnett formula and the establishment of financial relations with any regional governments in England. Although Australia is a...

After a decade of devolution and amid uncertainties about its effects, it is timely to assess and reflect upon the evidence and enduring meaning of any ‘economic dividend’ of devolution in the UK. Taking an institutionalist and quantitative approach, we seek to discern the nature and extent...

The task force has emerged as a mechanism for coordinating economic development activity in the context of the current New Labour government's emphasis upon including 'stakeholders' in 'joined-up' approaches to 'crosscutting' issues. In this paper I examine the use of task forces to organise...

In England and Wales a number of recent urban policy initiatives have been targeted to the electoral ward geography, treating this spatial unit as equivalent to a geography of 'neighbourhoods'. In this paper we question the assumption implicit to some neighbourhood regeneration schemes that...