The Politics of Regulation in the UK

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Political and Regulatory Traditions

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Introduction: The Politics of Tradition

      • Daniel Fitzpatrick

      Pages 3-23

   3. The British Political Tradition

      • Daniel Fitzpatrick

      Pages 25-54

   4. UK Regulation: The Self-Regulatory Ideal

      • Daniel Fitzpatrick

      Pages 55-91

3. Pressures for Change

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 93-93

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   2. The Neoliberal Tradition: Privatisation and Re-regulation

      • Daniel Fitzpatrick

      Pages 95-136

   3. The European Tradition: A Challenge to the Regulatory Orthodoxy?

      • Daniel Fitzpatrick

      Pages 137-176

   4. The Participatory Tradition: Football and the Crisis of Self-Regulation

      • Daniel Fitzpatrick

      Pages 177-208

   5. Post-2008: An Era of Regulatory Crisis?

      • Daniel Fitzpatrick

      Pages 209-224

4. Back Matter

   Pages 225-232

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This book explores the discourse of regulatory crisis in the UK and examines why, despite the increasing contestation of the principles underpinning the regulatory state, its institutions and practices continue to be firmly embedded within the governance of the British state. It considers its implications for our understanding of the contemporary nature of the British state, and to the study of regulation which is no longer confined to the domain of low politics, populated by technocrats, but is scrutinised by elected politicians, and the subject of the front pages rather than the financial pages. The author sets the British regulatory tradition in a wider context, both spatially, in terms of the challenges presented by Europeanisation, and temporally, critically analysing the process of crisis construction in the narratives of neoliberalism and participatory democracy in the contemporary era.

• Public management
• Governance
• Infrastructure
• Utilities
• Public policy
• British Politics
• water policy

“Set within the twin thematic contexts of tradition and crisis, Fitzpatrick offers an original, insightful and sophisticated analysis of British regulatory politics. He explains how they are constructed, maintained, and re-constructed in the face of recurring internal and external challenges, albeit always in ways which ultimately reflect the world-view and enhance the interests of political and economic elites in the UK.” (Steve Tombs, Professor of Criminology, The Open University, UK)

“Daniel Fitzpatrick’s study is a really valuable contribution to the study of regulation.  It combines a broad sweep of regulatory domains, a sensitivity to the historical context and, most valuable of all, great theoretical acuteness.” (Michael Moran, Professor of Government, Alliance Business School, UK)

“Political scientists have long noted the importance of tradition, and the ideologies held within them, for social and political life. Yet, tradition is rarely theorised. By making tradition central to the study of politics and regulatory choice, the author demonstrates how elite actors in the UK carry and reproduce meanings and representations that form the British Political Tradition (BPT). Using evidence from a wide range of policy issues, The Politics of Regulation in the UK poses important questions about how traditions frame powerful policy actors’ understandings of regulatory crisis and underpin public policy.” (Claire A. Dunlop, Associate Professor, University of Exeter, UK)

• Department of Politics, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

  Daniel Fitzpatrick

Dr Daniel Fitzpatrick is Lecturer in Comparative Public Policy at The University of Manchester, UK. He has previously held research positions at The University of Manchester and The University of Sheffield, UK. He is the author of several publications on British politics, governance and public policy, including The Crisis of Regulation (Palgrave Macmillan).

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