This is the first comprehensive study of direct rule as the system of governance which operated in Northern Ireland for most of the period between 1972 and 2007. The major institutions of governance are described and examined in detail, including the often neglected sectors of the role of the Westminster parliament, the civil service, local government, quangos, ombudsmen offices, cross-border structures and the public expenditure process. The book explains how the complex system covering transferred, reserved and excepted functions worked and provided viable governance despite political violence, constitutional conflict and political party disagreements. In addition, a comparison is drawn between direct rule and devolution, analysing both the positive and negative impact of direct rule, as well as identifying where there has been minimal divergence in processes and outcomes. It will prove an invaluable reference source on direct rule and provide a comparative basis for assessing devolution for students of public administration, government, politics, public policy and devolution.

Lee Smithey examines how symbolic cultural expressions in Northern Ireland, such as parades, bonfires, murals, and commemorations, provide opportunities for Protestant unionists and loyalists to reconstruct their collective identities and participate in conflict transformation.

Urban Peacebuilding in Divided Societies explores the effects of urban policy and planning in the management of ethnic conflict in strife-torn societies, focusing on the cases of Belfast and Johannesburg. It combines perspectives from urban geography, political science, social psychology, and urban planning to study the relationship between ethnic ideologies and the urban strategies that affect ethnic territoriality in the form of urban land use, housing, economic development, services, and citizen involvement. The book contrasts Belfast, embedded within an uncertain shift from conflict to political settlement, with Johannesburg, engaged in post-resolution reconciliation, to analyze, along different points of societal transition, the contributions of urban policymaking to peacemaking and peacebuilding. It describes the differing rolesobstructive or facilitativethat contested cities can play amidst broader peacemaking efforts, consistent with Bollens contention that there are lessons in urban peacebuilding for constructing mutually tolerable living environments at the regional and national levels. Effectively, cities (and urban policies) are the locus for operationalizing national ideologies of ethnic coexistence. } Urban Peacebuilding in Divided Societies explores the effects of urban policy and planning in the management of ethnic conflict in strife-torn societies, focusing on the cases of Belfast and Johannesburg. It combines perspectives from urban geography, political science, social psychology, and urban planning to study the relationship between ethnic ideologies and the urban strategies that affect ethnic territoriality in the form of urban land use, housing, economic development, services, and citizen involvement. The book contrasts Belfast, embedded within an uncertain shift from conflict to political settlement, with Johannesburg, engaged in post-resolution reconciliation, to analyze, along different points of societal transition, the contributions of urban policymaking to peacemaking and peacebuilding. It describes the differing rolesobstructive or facilitativethat contested cities can play amidst broader peacemaking efforts, consistent with Bollens contention that there are lessons in urban peacebuilding for constructing mutually tolerable living environments at the regional and national levels. Effectively, cities (and urban policies) are the locus for operationalizing national ideologies of ethnic coexistence.}

Uses case studies of Jerusalem and Belfast to explore how cities function in the midst of nationalistic conflict.

This monograph looks at how tax is intertwined with constitutional law and the state in the UK. It looks at a variety of topics including tax devolution, scrutiny and reform of tax legislation, the protection of taxpayers and the domestic legal processing of international rules and problems. Tax Law, State-Building and the Constitution presents and interrogates five key claims. First, there is a clear overlap between the concerns of tax and constitutional lawyers. Secondly, the tax system is being deeply affected by the fast pace of constitutional change. Thirdly, decisions taken in the tax field are likely to have a reverse influence on the evolution of the constitution. Fourthly, these relationships are heavily context-dependent, with tax making all the difference to some ongoing constitutional controversies whilst having very little to do with others. Fifthly, by acknowledging tax as an important moving part within the contemporary constitution we might understand both tax and constitutional law a little better. The book therefore contributes to deeper theoretical debates on the identity of tax law as a discipline, the relevance of tax to public lawyers, the meaning of state-building in the recent history of a developed country and the importance of public finances to a wider sense of 'what is going on'. These are questions that ought to command the attention of tax and constitutional law academics as well as policy makers and reformers.

Hopes for a peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland have again put the politics of the province under the spotlight. This new text, written by acknowledged experts on Northern Ireland, provides an immediately accessible introduction to the multi-faceted nature of the politics of the region.

This book examines the governance arrangements in Northern Ireland through a multi-level lens, particularly in the period since the new institutions established through the 1998 Agreement became more firmly embedded.

Now in its 147th edition Whitaker's Almanack is the definitive reference guide containing a comprehensive overview of every aspect of UK infrastructure and an excellent introduction to world politics. Available only as ebooks, Whitaker's Shorts are selected themed sections from Whitaker's Almanack 2015: portable and perfect for those with specific interests within the print edition. Whitaker's Shorts 2015: Governance contains essential information on the UK's European, national and local government infrastructure; a full listing of MPs, government departments and public bodies; plus Parliament: A Year in Review, covering all the key debates in the House of Commons over the 2013-14 parliamentary year.

Now in its 148th edition Whitaker's Almanack is the definitive reference guide containing a comprehensive overview of every aspect of UK infrastructure and an excellent introduction to world politics. Available only as ebooks, Whitaker's Shorts are selected themed sections from Whitaker's 2016: portable and perfect for those with specific interests within the print edition. Whitaker's Shorts 2016: Governance contains essential information on the UK's European, national and local government infrastructure; a full listing of MPs, government departments and public bodies; plus Parliament: A Year in Review, covering all the key debates in the House of Commons over the 2014-15 parliamentary year.