The Limits of Partnership: An Exit-Action Strategy for Local Democratic Inclusion

Political Studies, Vol. 55, No. 4, 2011

37 Pages Posted: 16 Apr 2011

See all articles by Jonathan S. Davies

Jonathan S. Davies

De Montfort University; Centre for Urban Research on Austerity

Date Written: April 15, 2011

Abstract

The challenge of enhancing the ‘democratic anchorage’ of partnerships has become a central concern in policy studies. Radical reform proposals designed to level the deliberative playing field include community veto powers and the appointment of neutral arbiters. Welcome as they would be, however, it is questionable whether such reforms would overcome power asymmetries in the partnership arena. A study of the local politics of social inclusion in two UK cities, Dundee and Hull, suggests that managerialism, driven by national governments, is eroding the prospects for partnership democratisation. But more significantly for the reformist agenda, public managers and community activists think in incompatible frames about the role of partnerships and in ways that are not understood by the other party. Non-communication undermines the prospects for an equitable deliberative consensus. Insights from Bourdieu suggest that even in more favourable deliberative environments than those in Dundee and Hull, subtle manifestations of power in culture, discourse and bearing would undermine the potential for a Habermasian consensus between radically unequal actors. In a radical departure from the network governance paradigm, it is therefore argued that empowerment may depend less on enhanced network democracy than on strong independent community organisation capable of acting separately and coercively against governing institutions and elites – an exit-action strategy. These preliminary conclusions point to a substantial research agenda on the politics of the state-civil society nexus.

Suggested Citation

Davies, Jonathan S. and Davies, Jonathan S., The Limits of Partnership: An Exit-Action Strategy for Local Democratic Inclusion (April 15, 2011). Political Studies, Vol. 55, No. 4, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1810882

Jonathan S. Davies (Contact Author)

Centre for Urban Research on Austerity ( email )

The Gateway
Leicester, LE1 9BH
United Kingdom

De Montfort University ( email )

Hugh Aston Building
The Gateway
Leicester, East Midlands LE1 9BH
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.dmu.ac.uk/professor-jonathan-davies

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