New Labour's countryside
Rural policy in Britain since 1997
- Author/Editor(s):
- Michael Woods
- Format:
- Hardback, 296 pages, 240 x 172 mm
- ISBN
- 9781861349323
- Published:
- 10 Sep 2008
£56.00 - List price: £70.00 You save: £14.00
North America customers can order this book here from the University of Chicago Press.
"This is a timely volume from a distinguished group of scholars which focuses on an area of study that is often marginalised......The scope of the book is impressive.....It can be recommneded for the bookshelves of any scholar with an interest in this field and should also be of interest to students and a far wider community of people concerned with UK public policy issues". Political Studies Review
"Highly readable, thought provoking and, at times, provocative. This is a key starting place for up-to-date, quality assessments of recent rural policy issues in the UK."
Keith Hoggart, Professor of Geography, King's College London
About This Book
Rural policy has presented some of the most difficult and unexpected challenges to the New Labour government. From the Foot and Mouth crisis to the rise of the Countryside Alliance, from farm protests to concerns about rural crime, rural issues have frequently seized headlines and formed the basis of organized opposition to the government. Yet, the same government, elected with a record number of rural MPs, has also proactively sought to reform rural policy. This book critically reviews and analyses the development and implementation of New Labour's rural policies since 1997. It explores the factors shaping the evolution and form of New Labour's rural agenda, and assesses the impact of specific policies. Contributions examine discursive restructuring of the rural policy agenda, the institutional reforms and effects of devolution, the key political debates and challenges around hunting, agricultural reform, Foot and Mouth, housing development and the 'right to roam', and review policy developments with respect to crime, social exclusion and employment in the countryside, rural community governance and national parks. "New Labour's Countryside" will be of interest to students of contemporary British politics and of rural studies, and to anyone involved in the government and politics of the countryside.
Author Biography
Michael Woods is Reader in Human Geography at Aberystwyth University and Co-Director of the Wales Rural Observatory. He has undertaken extensive research on rural politics and governance.Contents
Part one: Contexts and political strategies: New Labour's countryside ~ Michael Woods
Rethinking rural policy under New Labour ~ Neil Ward
Rural governance, devolution and policy delivery ~ Mark Goodwin
New Labour's countryside in international perspective ~ Mark Shucksmith
Part two: The key debates: The foot and mouth crisis ~ Michael Winter
Hunting: New Labour success or New Labour failure? ~ Michael Woods
Planning and development in the countryside ~ Nick Gallent
Countryside access and the 'right to roam' under New Labour: nothing to CRoW about? ~ Gavin Parker
Agricultural policy ~ Alan Greer
Part three: Policies for the rural economy, society and environment: Rural community development and governance ~ Graham Gardner
New Labour, poverty and welfare in rural England ~ Paul Milbourne
Policing policy and policy policing: directions in rural policing under New Labour ~ Richard Yarwood
Twenty-first century employment and training in the countryside? The rural 'New Deal' experience ~ Suzie Watkin and Martin Jones
National Parks and the governance of the rural environment ~ Nicola Thompson
Part four: Conclusion: Beyond New Labour's countryside ~ Michael Woods.
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