"A well written and valuable study [which] does much to get behind the mythology of debates about decentralisation...[It] deserves to be read by all concerned with the changing face of local politics." - John Solomos, Political Studies This wide-ranging book sets discussion of the various approaches to local government decentralisation in the context of the changing nature of public service management and the possibilities for new kinds of public involvement in government decision-making. It draws on a wide range of experiences throughout the UK as well as the findings of an in-depth study of the impact of radical decentralisation strategies in two inner London boroughs to provide an authoritative assessment of the politics of decentralisation.