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The dynamics of depoliticisation in urban governance: Introducing a directly elected mayor

Sweeting, David; Hambleton, Robin

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Authors

David Sweeting



Abstract

Within the context of debates regarding depoliticisation, this article considers how the introduction of a directly elected mayor system of governance impacts on urban politics. Directly elected mayors are now a fundamental feature of many political systems. They have been widely introduced as a reform to improve processes of local democracy and the effectiveness of governing practices to offer a more potent form of city leadership. This article focuses on developments in England, by presenting the case of Bristol, a city epitomising many aspects of modern neo-liberalised urban development. Bristol adopted a mayoral system in 2012 and the article presents empirical data from before and after this reform pertaining to two frameworks to understand city leadership. We conclude that the move to mayoral governance, in Bristol in the 2012-16 period, eroded the influence of party politics and led to the adoption of elements of a leadership style associated with a depoliticisation of urban politics in the city. Nevertheless, the analysis suggests that the mayoral model also provides significant space for the expansion of political agency on the part of the city leader, not least because power becomes concentrated in the mayoral position.

Citation

Sweeting, D., & Hambleton, R. (2020). The dynamics of depoliticisation in urban governance: Introducing a directly elected mayor. Urban Studies, 57(5), 1068-1086. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098019827506

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 3, 2018
Online Publication Date Mar 13, 2019
Publication Date Apr 1, 2020
Deposit Date Apr 24, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Urban Studies
Print ISSN 0042-0980
Electronic ISSN 1360-063X
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 57
Issue 5
Pages 1068-1086
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098019827506
Keywords city leadership, depoliticisation, directly elected mayors, governance, local government, politics
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/850631
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098019827506
Additional Information Additional Information : Copyright(c)2019 Reprinted by permission of SAGE publications.

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