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Countryside Issues: A Creeping Crisis

Greer, Alan

Authors

Alan Greer Alan.Greer@uwe.ac.uk
Prog Director/ AP in Politics & Pub Plcy



Abstract

This article explores the idea of countryside crisis in Britain. Countryside crisis is contrasted with more conventional single-issue crises because of its multi-stranded and complex character. Its main components are the contemporary problems of the farming sector, BSE/vCJD, foot-and-mouth disease, and wider issues in rural society such as social exclusion and the provision of vital services. Public opinion, the media and pressure groups all shape the form of countryside crisis. Crisis management is influenced by how policy-makers and administrators see the problems and whether the components emerge suddenly or gradually. A combination of emergency measures, long-term policy action (business as usual) and institutional/procedural change have been deployed to handle countryside crisis in Britain. The broad conclusion is that its successful handling involves a reshaping of the relationship between agriculture and the wider rural world, which requires long-term and radical change rather than emergency measures and incremental tinkering.

Citation

Greer, A. (2003). Countryside Issues: A Creeping Crisis. Parliamentary Affairs, 56(3), 523-542+ii+v. https://doi.org/10.1093/parlij/gsg104

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jul 1, 2003
Journal Parliamentary Affairs
Print ISSN 0031-2290
Publisher Oxford University Press (OUP)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 56
Issue 3
Pages 523-542+ii+v
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/parlij/gsg104
Keywords countryside, crisis, government intervention
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1068722
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/parlij/gsg104