Devolution and user participation in public services: How they work and what they do

Devolution and user participation have had enduring popularity as initiativ es in public services in many countries. The 1997 Labour government renewed interest in the UK. However, how devolution and participation work and wha t they do, particularly in combination, are still not well understood. Rese arch has been handicapped by key conceptual problems over definition, measu rement and the identification of effects, and challenged by gaps between rh etoric and reality. Data on combined devolution and user participation thro ugh Tenant Management Organisations in English council housing were used to specify the extent of changes, examine processes and identify the effects. Formal measures alone were insufficient. Other measures and changes in man agement processes showed that the combination had the potential for signifi cant, but widely varying effects on service performance.