Martin Jones

Rescaling the state provides a theoretically-informed and empirically-rich account of the process of devolution undertaken in the UK since 1997, focusing in particular on the devolution of economic governance. Using case studies from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the book examines the purported reasons for, and the unintended consequences of, devolution. As well as comparing policy and practice across the four devolved territories, the book also explores the pitfalls and instances of good practice associated with devolution in the UK. Rescaling the state is an important text for all social scientists – particularly political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists and human geographers – interested in the devolution of power in the UK and, indeed, all instances of contemporary state restructuring. It is also a significant book for all policy-makers interested in understanding the increasing complexity of the policy landscapes of economic governance in the UK.

The twin categories of the state and nature collectively embody some of the most fundamental reference points around which our lives and thinking are organized. Despite their combined significance, however, the complex relationships that exist between modern states and nature remain under-theorized and are relatively unexplored. Through a detailed study of different sites, moments, and framing strategies The Nature of the State challenges the ways in which geographers and social scientists approach the study of state-nature relations. The authors analyse different instances of state-nature interaction from all over the world, considering the geo-politics of resource conflicts, the operation of natural history museums, the organizational practices of environmental departments and ministries, the regulation of genetic science, and contemporary forms of state intervention within issues of climate change. Introducing original research into the different institutional, spatial, and temporal strategies used by states to frame the natural world this book provides a critical overview of the latest political and ecological theories and addresses a wide range of pressing socio-environmental debates.