Local implementation of New Labour ’ s market reforms

Theories of policy process recognise that policy implementation is as important as, if not more important than, policy design in determining the impact a policy has in practice. Unfortunately, policy-makers often do not pay adequate attention to implementation, considering it the responsibility of others, such as managers, and assuming that implementation is simply ‘a matter of carrying out that which has been decided upon’ (Grindle and Thomas 1991). Studies of policy implementation have highlighted how policies are mediated by features of the local context (Pawson and Tilley 1997). The views and actions of local actors involved in implementation, in particular, have been found to influence the impact of policies (Lipsky 1980).