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Some Social and Political Correlates of County Borough Expenditures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2009

James E. Alt
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Extract

In this article it is proposed to take another look at what have elsewhere been called ‘sources of diversity’ in British local government. The purpose is to show that across a sample of English and Welsh county boroughs, significant associations can be found between levels of expenditure in certain public service areas and both socio-economic and political variables. In particular, it will be shown that the presence of greater Labour representation on councils is associated in such areas as housing, education, and local health with higher levels and in the case of the police service with lower levels of expenditure.

Type
Articles
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , January 1971 , pp. 49 - 62
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

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References

1 Boaden, Noel T. and Alford, Robert T., ‘Sources of Diversity in English Local Government Decisions’, Public Administration, XLVII (1969), 203–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

2 Richards, Peter G., The New Local Government System (London: Unwin University Books, 1968), p. 86.Google Scholar

3 Bulpitt, J. G., Party Politics in English Local Government (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1967), p. 97.Google Scholar

4 Data on population, rateable value per capita, rates, and party control and competition for all years (except 1959 in the case of the party variables) are taken from the Municipal Yearbook (London, appropriate years). Party composition of councils for 1959 is taken from The Times. Data on expenditures were taken from the series of annual publications of the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants, of which the following were used: Education Statistics, Police Force Statistics, Fire Service Statistics, Local Health Statistics, Public Library Statistics, Children Service Statistics, Welfare Statistics, Housing Statistics, and Return of Rates (London, I.M.T.A., appropriate years).

5 See also Royal Commission on Local Government in England, Vol. 3, Research Appendice Appendix 10, ‘Staffing and Size of Local Authorities’ (London: H.M.S.O., 1969), p. 224.Google Scholar

6 See Peacock, A. T. and Wiseman, J., The Growth of Public Expenditure in the United Kingdom (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1961), pp. 112 ff.Google Scholar, and Royal Commission on Local Government in England, vol. 3, Appendix 6.

7 Computations, unless otherwise specified, were carried out by computer, using the ICT/XDS3 program. See ICT 1900 Series, ‘Scientific and Technical Software — Statistical’, 1967, Part 3, especially p. 14.Google Scholar

8 Oliver, F. R. and Stanyer, J., ‘Some Aspects of the Financial Behaviour of County Boroughs’, Public Administration, XLVII (1969), 169–84, p. 181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

9 Oliver, and Stanyer, , ‘Some Aspects’, pp. 176–81.Google Scholar

10 Gupta, S. P. and Hutton, J. P., ‘Economies of Scale in Local Government Services’, published as Royal Commission on Local Government in England, Research Studies 3 (London: H.M.S.O. 1968), p. 9.Google Scholar

11 Gupta, and Hutton, , ‘Economies of Scale’, pp. 7, 11.Google Scholar

12 See note 5, above.

13 Boaden, and Alford, , ‘Sources of Diversity’, pp. 215–19.Google Scholar

14 Wiseman and Peacock, The Growth of Public Expenditure, chapter 6.

15 Boaden, and Alford, , ‘Sources of Diversity’, p. 221.Google Scholar

16 Oliver, and Stanyer, , ‘Some Aspects’, pp. 178–9.Google Scholar

17 Wiseman, and Peacock, , The Growth of Public Expenditure, p. 102.Google Scholar

18 Gupta, and Hutton, , ‘Economies of Scale’, p. 11.Google Scholar

19 Boaden and Alford, ‘Sources of Diversity’, passim.

20 Oliver and Stanyer, ‘Some Aspects’, passim.

21 For a comprehensive review of this literature, see Fenton, J. H. and Chamberlayne, D. W., ‘The Literature Dealing with the Relationships between Political Processes, Socioeconomic Conditions and Public Policies in the American States’, Polity, I (1969), 388–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

22 Richards, , The New Local Government System, p. 32.Google Scholar