Metropolitan and Regional Economic Development: Competing and Contested Local Government Roles in Australia in the 21st Century

Pugalis, L; Tan, S

Metropolitan and Regional Economic Development: Competing and Contested Local Government Roles in Australia in the 21st Century

Pugalis, L

Tan, S

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Publisher:: Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit, Lincoln University
Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: Refereed Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Regional Science Association International, 2017
Issue Date:: 2017

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Pugalis, L https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8987-6356	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Tan, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4919-5625	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Dalziel, P	en_US
dc.date	2016-12-05	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Refereed Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Regional Science Association International, 2017	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	978-0-473-38890-4	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/81975
dc.description.abstract	Economic development is a priority of all levels of government; irrespective of country, constitution or system of governance. This is particularly the case in Australia, where federal, state and local tiers of government are undertaking activities intended to support economic growth. However, roles and responsibilities are not always clear, which reflects interorganisational, intergovernmental and intra-organisational conflict, contradictions, duplications and fissures. Traditionally the role of local government in the subnational economic development policy space has been rather limited, although their remit and engagement in this sphere has increased steadily since the 1980s. Even so, the role of councils in subnational economic development – and metropolitan and regional economic development in particular – remains ambiguous and contested. Derived from findings from a project funded by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government investigating the role of local government in the organisation and promotion of economic development, this paper intends to make two contributions to the literature. First, it shows how the conceptual messiness of the notion of (metropolitan and regional) economic development can both enable and constrain local government practice. Secondly, a state-level policy vacuum is apparent, which is a source of frustration amongst local practitioners. A key policy implication is the need to open-up more space for dialogue between different tiers of government to help engender a shared understanding of economic development, including the roles of different actors.	en_US
dc.publisher	Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit, Lincoln University	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Refereed Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Regional Science Association International	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Australian And New Zealand Regional Science Association International	en_US
dc.title	Metropolitan and Regional Economic Development: Competing and Contested Local Government Roles in Australia in the 21st Century	en_US
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
utslib.location	Lincoln, NZ	en_US
utslib.location.activity	RMIT	en_US
utslib.for	1205 Urban and Regional Planning	en_US
utslib.for	160505 Economic Development Policy	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/lnstitute for Public Policy and Governance
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - IPPG - Institute for Public Policy and Governance
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.finish-date	2016-12-07	en_US
pubs.place-of-publication	Lincoln, NZ	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.start-date	2016-12-05	en_US

Abstract:

Economic development is a priority of all levels of government; irrespective of country, constitution or system of governance. This is particularly the case in Australia, where federal, state and local tiers of government are undertaking activities intended to support economic growth. However, roles and responsibilities are not always clear, which reflects interorganisational, intergovernmental and intra-organisational conflict, contradictions, duplications and fissures. Traditionally the role of local government in the subnational economic development policy space has been rather limited, although their remit and engagement in this sphere has increased steadily since the 1980s. Even so, the role of councils in subnational economic development – and metropolitan and regional economic development in particular – remains ambiguous and contested. Derived from findings from a project funded by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government investigating the role of local government in the organisation and promotion of economic development, this paper intends to make two contributions to the literature. First, it shows how the conceptual messiness of the notion of (metropolitan and regional) economic development can both enable and constrain local government practice. Secondly, a state-level policy vacuum is apparent, which is a source of frustration amongst local practitioners. A key policy implication is the need to open-up more space for dialogue between different tiers of government to help engender a shared understanding of economic development, including the roles of different actors.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/81975