Arthur Midwinter
Biographic Data
| ID | 4128798 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Arthur Midwinter |
| GIVEN NAMES | Arthur |
| FAMILY NAME | Midwinter |
| SIGNATURE | MIDWINTER A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Strathclyde |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 41 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 110 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 41 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Moderniser l'Etat: Les aspects financiers des programme reviews au Royaume-Uni
Le présent article étudie le phénomène de la Revue globale des dépenses publiques ( CSR , ou Comprehensive spending review) au Royaume-Uni. Il montre que cette CSR a été au cœur de la modernisation de l’État défendue par le gouvernement travailliste élu en 1997 et resté en fonctions jusqu’en mai 2010. La CSR a été introduite en 1998 dans le cadre des politiques de modernisation voulues par le New Labour. Son histoire est empreinte de continuité e…
The Barnett Formula and its Critics Revised: Evidence from the Post-Devolution Period
Since the devolution of power to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1999, a stream of papers and reports have argued for the replacement of the Barnett Formula, which is used in the setting of block grants to the devolved administrations, with a needs-based formula, either within the current system, or as part of a reformed system based on equalisation grants and extended fiscal powers. In 1999, I argued in Scottish Affairs (Midwinter 1999) …
The 2004 Spending Review in Scotland
The publication of the Executive's Spending P lans for Scot land in September 2004 marks the end of an intensive six month period in which budget strategy for the next three years is determined (Scottish Executive 2004a). Whilst the annual budget process continues into Stage 2 in October, and ends with the passage of the Budget Act in January the following year, it is concerned mainly with fine tuning and parliamentary scrutiny of the detailed sp…
The changing distribution of territorial public expenditure in the UK
The financial arrangements for devolution in the UK have been subject to conflicting criticisms regarding the purpose and impact of the Barnett formula, which is said to have been designed to promote convergence of public expenditure per capita in the devolved nations towards the UK average, yet has failed to deliver this in practice. This paper shows that the impact of Barnett on the devolved nations is mixed, resulting in convergence in the cas…
The Limits to Fiscal Autonomy under the Devolution Settlement
The political debate over devolution finance entered new territory in the 2001 General Election, with the Scottish National Party's advocacy of full fiscal autonomy for the Scottish Parliament. Previously, there had been little difference between the parties, with the Conservatives opposing devolved taxes, Labour favouring the modest tax-varying power, and the Liberals proposing assigned revenues in addition to the tax-varying powers. The SNP's p…
Territorial Resource Allocation in the UK: A Rejoinder on Needs Assessment
In a recent paper in Regional Studies Kevin Morgan argued for the replacement of the Barnett formula with a needsbased formula. However, the case for change is weak, in terms of both defining the problem and advocating a solution, and it fails to recognize the severe conceptual and measurement problems in such an approach. The current system has provided patterns of resource allocation which are reflective of differences in needs. It is a simple,…
Central Grants and Local Spending in Britain: A Reappraisal of the Post-Layfield Period
The Review of Local Authority Grant Distribution in Scotland: Arguments for a Simpler Approach
PRINCIPLES OF GRANT DISTRIBUTION The Scottish Executive is engaged in a review of local government finance, which is concentrated on developing three year budgeting, developing public service agreements, and the simplification of the grant system. It has ruled out any change in local taxation meantime. This paper is concerned with the grant system. It reviews the problems of the current approach and proposes a simpler, incremental approach to pro…
In Search of the Regulatory State: Evidence From Scotland
Recent research has suggested that there is movement towards a ‘regulatory state’ in the UK with regulation an expanding area of government. This article identifies key Scottish differences from UK practice and suggests the growth and scale of regulation inside Scottish government is more modest than suggested by UK‐wide research. It also reviews existing oversight arrangements within Scottish government for public service delivery bodies and que…
Metropolitan Government in Decline: Lessons from Scotland
Ostensibly, the reorganization of Scottish local government in 1996 was intended to create a more local, more efficient, and more accountable system. However, through grant abatement, the Conservative government simultaneously intensified its fiscal squeeze on local authorities, seeking expenditure reductions in real terms. Contrary to assurances from party leaders, both developments led to disruption for local authorities, felt particularly in S…
McIntosh on governance and accountability
The Barnett Formula and Public Spending in Scotland: Policy and Practice
For twenty years, Scotland has experienced distinctive arrangements for determining public expenditure under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland. In recent years, the levels of public spending delivered by this system have been questioned by English MPs of both major parties, whether Conservatives disaffected by the 'dependency culture' which high public spending was deemed to promote, or Labour MPs envious of the Scottish totals a…
Developing best value in Scotland: Concepts and contradictions
Labour's commitment to the Best Value approach in policy terms has still permitted significant differences of practice in Scotland. The argument is made here that Best Value incorporates elements of the rationales behind both CCT and performance management. It is not therefore a radical break from past practice ‐ more of an incremental change which builds on initiatives of recent years. The article concludes that there are unresolved tensions and…
Glasgow: Anatomy of a fiscal crisis
Ostensibly, the reorganisation of Scottish local government in 1996 was intended to create a more local, more efficient and more accountable system of local government. However, simultaneously, through grant abatement, the government intensified its fiscal squeeze on local government, seeking in real terms reductions in local authority expenditure. Contrary to assurances from ministers, both developments occasioned disruption for local authoritie…
Mair Scotch Mist than Myth: A Rejoinder on Devolution
Local Government in a Devolved Scotland
Since the arrival of devolution on the political agenda in the 1970s, there has been an expectation that its introduction would inevitably lead to a reconsideration of the structure and functions of local government (Gunn 1977; Page 1979). Indeed, both the SNP and the Liberals committed themselves in electoral manifestos to transferring functions from local government to a Scottish Parliament, dismantling the big regions, and shaping local author…
Local government reform in Scotland: Managing the transition
1997). Local government reform in Scotland: Managing the transition. Local Government Studies: Vol. 23, Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath, pp. 73-89
The Reformed System of Local Government Finance in Scotland
This article examines the principles behind recent reforms in local government finance in Scottish local government. It is argued that whilst the local tax reform has been implemented relatively smoothly, the other reforms which accompanied it have been more problematic. In particular the switch from selective to universal capping has resulted in the unintended consequence of previous ‘underspenders’ spending much closer to their centrally determ…
Reshaping Social Work Authorities in Scotland
This article examines the assumptions and arguments underpinning the case that the Government has made for reorganizing Scottish social work authorities. In particular the argument that the reforms will enhance both efficiency and accountability at no increase in the cost of senive delivery is examined. The neutral cost assumption is questioned with data provided showing that in England and Wales larger social services departments have lower unit…
Local government reform: Taking stock of the Conservative approach
Shaping Scotland's new local authorities: Arguments, options, issues
The review of local government in Scotland ‐ a critical perspective
(1992). The review of local government in Scotland ‐ a critical perspective. Local Government Studies: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 44-54
The New System of Local Taxation in Scotland: Principles and Practice
This article examines the new system of Scottish local government finance in theory and practice. It argues that reform is based on an economic theory of local fiscal behaviour, and examines the empirical evidence regarding the application of marginal cost pricing principles through the linking of marginal spending to taxation. The research reveals that the application of such principles in practice will be difficult, as only a few services offer…
Reversing the revaluation effect — the spatial impact of the poll tax
A Return to Ratepayer Democracy: The Reform of Local Government Finance in Historical Perspective
1989 was a significant year in the history ofScottish local government, marking the introduction of a radical reform of local government finance. On the one hand, the community charge is presented as providing a fairer and more accountable way of financing local government. On the other hand, it is interpreted as a regressive, inequitable shift in taxation in favour of the better-off. In their 1986 Green Paper, 'Paying for Local Government', the …
In Search of the Regulatory State: Evidence From Scotland
Recent research has suggested that there is movement towards a ‘regulatory state’ in the UK with regulation an expanding area of government. This article identifies key Scottish differences from UK practice and suggests the growth and scale of regulation inside Scottish government is more modest than suggested by UK‐wide research. It also reviews existing oversight arrangements within Scottish government for public service delivery bodies and que…
Shaping Scotland's new local authorities: Arguments, options, issues
The review of local government in Scotland ‐ a critical perspective
(1992). The review of local government in Scotland ‐ a critical perspective. Local Government Studies: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 44-54
Excessive and Unreasonable: The Politics of the Scottish Hit List
The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act marks a major change in central-local relations in allowing selective intervention in the expenditure decisions of individual councils. The criteria for action, based upon the concept of ‘excessive and unreasonable’ expenditure are broadly drawn. In taking action against seven councils in 1981–2, the Scottish Office applied its own criteria inconsistently. The case against the council…
The Barnett Formula and Public Spending in Scotland: Policy and Practice
For twenty years, Scotland has experienced distinctive arrangements for determining public expenditure under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland. In recent years, the levels of public spending delivered by this system have been questioned by English MPs of both major parties, whether Conservatives disaffected by the 'dependency culture' which high public spending was deemed to promote, or Labour MPs envious of the Scottish totals a…
Glasgow: Anatomy of a fiscal crisis
Ostensibly, the reorganisation of Scottish local government in 1996 was intended to create a more local, more efficient and more accountable system of local government. However, simultaneously, through grant abatement, the government intensified its fiscal squeeze on local government, seeking in real terms reductions in local authority expenditure. Contrary to assurances from ministers, both developments occasioned disruption for local authoritie…
Setting the rate ‐ liverpool style
Developing best value in Scotland: Concepts and contradictions
Labour's commitment to the Best Value approach in policy terms has still permitted significant differences of practice in Scotland. The argument is made here that Best Value incorporates elements of the rationales behind both CCT and performance management. It is not therefore a radical break from past practice ‐ more of an incremental change which builds on initiatives of recent years. The article concludes that there are unresolved tensions and…
Regression analysis and the assessment of local expenditure need ‐ a reconsideration
The Limits to Fiscal Autonomy under the Devolution Settlement
The political debate over devolution finance entered new territory in the 2001 General Election, with the Scottish National Party's advocacy of full fiscal autonomy for the Scottish Parliament. Previously, there had been little difference between the parties, with the Conservatives opposing devolved taxes, Labour favouring the modest tax-varying power, and the Liberals proposing assigned revenues in addition to the tax-varying powers. The SNP's p…
Territorial Resource Allocation in the UK: A Rejoinder on Needs Assessment
In a recent paper in Regional Studies Kevin Morgan argued for the replacement of the Barnett formula with a needsbased formula. However, the case for change is weak, in terms of both defining the problem and advocating a solution, and it fails to recognize the severe conceptual and measurement problems in such an approach. The current system has provided patterns of resource allocation which are reflective of differences in needs. It is a simple,…
Central Grants and Local Spending in Britain: A Reappraisal of the Post-Layfield Period
Local Government in a Devolved Scotland
Since the arrival of devolution on the political agenda in the 1970s, there has been an expectation that its introduction would inevitably lead to a reconsideration of the structure and functions of local government (Gunn 1977; Page 1979). Indeed, both the SNP and the Liberals committed themselves in electoral manifestos to transferring functions from local government to a Scottish Parliament, dismantling the big regions, and shaping local author…
Local government reform in Scotland: Managing the transition
1997). Local government reform in Scotland: Managing the transition. Local Government Studies: Vol. 23, Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath, pp. 73-89
The New System of Local Taxation in Scotland: Principles and Practice
This article examines the new system of Scottish local government finance in theory and practice. It argues that reform is based on an economic theory of local fiscal behaviour, and examines the empirical evidence regarding the application of marginal cost pricing principles through the linking of marginal spending to taxation. The research reveals that the application of such principles in practice will be difficult, as only a few services offer…
Economic Theory, the Poll Tax and Local Spending
The poll tax in practice: The distributive and political consequences of rates reform in the Scottish highlands
The Politics of Local Fiscal Reform
From April 1989, Scotland will have a new system of local government finance. Domestic rates (a property tax) will be abolished and replaced by a community charge payable by all adults aged eighteen years and over, with a few exceptions, and with a system of rebates for people with low incomes. Business rates (non- domestic sector) will remain, but only allowed to increase in line with the previous year's rate of inflation, and eventually forming…
Moderniser l'Etat: Les aspects financiers des programme reviews au Royaume-Uni
Le présent article étudie le phénomène de la Revue globale des dépenses publiques ( CSR , ou Comprehensive spending review) au Royaume-Uni. Il montre que cette CSR a été au cœur de la modernisation de l’État défendue par le gouvernement travailliste élu en 1997 et resté en fonctions jusqu’en mai 2010. La CSR a été introduite en 1998 dans le cadre des politiques de modernisation voulues par le New Labour. Son histoire est empreinte de continuité e…
The Reformed System of Local Government Finance in Scotland
This article examines the principles behind recent reforms in local government finance in Scottish local government. It is argued that whilst the local tax reform has been implemented relatively smoothly, the other reforms which accompanied it have been more problematic. In particular the switch from selective to universal capping has resulted in the unintended consequence of previous ‘underspenders’ spending much closer to their centrally determ…
Local government reform: Taking stock of the Conservative approach
The New Conservatism and Public Expenditure
Current expenditure guidelines in Scotland: A failure of indicative planning∗
Remoteness, Efficiency, Cost and the Reorganization of Scottish Local Government
The implementation of the Paterson report in Scottish local government, 1975–77
The implementation of the Paterson report in Scottish local government, 1975–77
Remoteness, Efficiency, Cost and the Reorganization of Scottish Local Government
Excessive and Unreasonable: The Politics of the Scottish Hit List
The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act marks a major change in central-local relations in allowing selective intervention in the expenditure decisions of individual councils. The criteria for action, based upon the concept of ‘excessive and unreasonable’ expenditure are broadly drawn. In taking action against seven councils in 1981–2, the Scottish Office applied its own criteria inconsistently. The case against the council…
Reforming the Budgetary Process in Local Government
The Area Project Approach to Economic Development in Scotland
Enterprise Zones: Implementing the Unworkable
Enterprise Zones owe their origins to an analysis of economic decline, particularly in urban areas, which attributes this to government intervention, regulation and taxation. Their earliest exponent was Professor Peter Hall, an erstwhile Fabian socialist who in 1977 proposed the creation of mini Hong Kongs in the depressed inner cities, areas free of all government regulation and taxation, where free enterprise would be given full rein. The idea …
The Politics of Scottish Housing Plans
The Scottish Housing Plan system was intended to bring about a radical change in the relationship between central and local government, by giving authorities greater scope to devise policies relative to local needs. In practice, Housing Plans provide a formal framework around which bargaining and negotiation takes place. Developments since 1979, however, have resulted in the abandonment of local government having a central, comprehensive role in …
Current expenditure guidelines in Scotland: A failure of indicative planning∗
Setting the rate ‐ liverpool style
Regression analysis and the assessment of local expenditure need ‐ a reconsideration
Beyond Westminster and Whitehall
The New Conservatism and Public Expenditure
Economic Theory, the Poll Tax and Local Spending
The poll tax in practice: The distributive and political consequences of rates reform in the Scottish highlands
The Politics of Local Fiscal Reform
From April 1989, Scotland will have a new system of local government finance. Domestic rates (a property tax) will be abolished and replaced by a community charge payable by all adults aged eighteen years and over, with a few exceptions, and with a system of rebates for people with low incomes. Business rates (non- domestic sector) will remain, but only allowed to increase in line with the previous year's rate of inflation, and eventually forming…
Grants, Needs Assessment and The Community Charge
A Return to Ratepayer Democracy: The Reform of Local Government Finance in Historical Perspective
1989 was a significant year in the history ofScottish local government, marking the introduction of a radical reform of local government finance. On the one hand, the community charge is presented as providing a fairer and more accountable way of financing local government. On the other hand, it is interpreted as a regressive, inequitable shift in taxation in favour of the better-off. In their 1986 Green Paper, 'Paying for Local Government', the …
The New System of Local Taxation in Scotland: Principles and Practice
This article examines the new system of Scottish local government finance in theory and practice. It argues that reform is based on an economic theory of local fiscal behaviour, and examines the empirical evidence regarding the application of marginal cost pricing principles through the linking of marginal spending to taxation. The research reveals that the application of such principles in practice will be difficult, as only a few services offer…
Reversing the revaluation effect — the spatial impact of the poll tax
The review of local government in Scotland ‐ a critical perspective
(1992). The review of local government in Scotland ‐ a critical perspective. Local Government Studies: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 44-54
Local government reform: Taking stock of the Conservative approach
Shaping Scotland's new local authorities: Arguments, options, issues
Reshaping Social Work Authorities in Scotland
This article examines the assumptions and arguments underpinning the case that the Government has made for reorganizing Scottish social work authorities. In particular the argument that the reforms will enhance both efficiency and accountability at no increase in the cost of senive delivery is examined. The neutral cost assumption is questioned with data provided showing that in England and Wales larger social services departments have lower unit…
Mair Scotch Mist than Myth: A Rejoinder on Devolution
Local Government in a Devolved Scotland
Since the arrival of devolution on the political agenda in the 1970s, there has been an expectation that its introduction would inevitably lead to a reconsideration of the structure and functions of local government (Gunn 1977; Page 1979). Indeed, both the SNP and the Liberals committed themselves in electoral manifestos to transferring functions from local government to a Scottish Parliament, dismantling the big regions, and shaping local author…
Political science (34 works) · Public Administration (30 works) · Economics (28 works) · Public Administration (25 works) · Law (21 works) · Law (18 works) · Local Government Finance and Decentralization (18 works) · Local government (15 works) · Politics (15 works) · Sociology (13 works)