Networks, partnerships and European Union regional economic development initiatives in the West Midlands

The paper concerns the emergence of complex networks and public/private partnerships in EU regional economic development initiatives in the English West Midlands. The implications of the partnership model for the governance of the West Midlands are examined with reference to the role of the Government Office for the West Midlands and the involvement of Birmingham City Council in multi-agency policy initiatives. Despite their importance, the networking arrangements that exist do not signify the establishment of a democratically accountable regional government. What they do indicate is the partial re-engineering and rationalisation of the administrative process and the quest by central government to control policies concerning regional economic competitiveness.