The Local Politics of Public Action: Relationships, Bargains and the Question of ‘Impact”

The concluding contribution to this IDS Bulletin draws together the themes and findings from the eight country case studies. It reflects on the choice of the framing notion of ‘public action’ as distinct from a focus on ‘civil society’, as an alternative and more appropriate frame of reference for the hybrid forms of change in local governance witnessed through these cases. Three main wider contributions of the research are identified. First, as action research, some of the cases offer fresh perspectives on processes of change, often from the valuable perspectives of insiders or engaged practitioners. Second, the cases collectively provide striking new insights into how relationships are built to bolster alliances, strike bargains, and develop trust between actors engaged in local governance reform. Third, the article draws together the case study findings to develop a working typology of the impacts of local democratic governance reform on poverty, inequality and exclusion.