Policy Networks and Sub-National Government

Abstract

The discussion of central government in Chapter 4 shows that SNG does not operate entirely independently. Instead it is part of a complex web of relationships between parts of the governmental system. These relationships are not simply confined to those between central government and SNG but are spread wider, to include relationships within SNG itself as well as relationships with the private sector. The changes that have been occurring over the last 20 years (see Chapter 3) have meant that these sets of relationships have become increasingly important for understanding how the SNG system actually works in practice. The complexities which have become apparent from the examination of these relationships have led to a re-evaluation of how SNG can best be analysed and has led to an increasing concern with the idea of policy networks (R. Rhodes, 1990; Marsh and Rhodes, 1992c) as a means for investigating how SNG operates.