Written by leading academics in the field of local governance, this book provides a broad framework in which to analyse the impact of the financial crisis on public services and local government.

Foreword ~ Ken Livingstone; Part one: Context: Introduction: the scope and challenges of the financial crisis ~ Joanna Richardson and Colin Copus; The global context of the crisis: from Bretton Woods to market fundamentalism ~ George Lambie; Markets, governance and renewal, from financial crisis to economic and social cohesion ~ Stuart Holland; Part two: Policies and issues: Responding to the UK fiscal deficit ~ Fred Mear; Protecting the community from the effects of the financial crisis ~ Joanna Richardson; Exploring the local political context of the recession ~ Steve Leach and Mark Roberts; Efficiencies in public service delivery ~ John Seddon and Brendan O'Donovan; Choice, empowerment, personalisation: taking forward public services in a recession ~ Tim Brown and Nicola Yates; Governing the mix: how local government still matters ~ Helen Sullivan; Part three: Conclusion: Conclusions: from recession to renewal? ~ Joanna Richardson.