Public Affairs & Administration books

In the context of COVID-19, the production and governance of urban space has experienced a rapid digitalization and datafication, creating new challenges for citizenship. The urban realm is not only the environment where a new standard for digital development is set but also the realm from which rescaling nation-states are pervasively emerging. Emerging Digital Citizenship Regimes: Postpandemic Technopolitical Democracies explores the roles played by digital citizenship in the context of changing geographies of the nation-state in Europe in the aftermath of the global pandemic; and reframes the concept of digital citizenship amid the rescaling of nation-states in Europe by connecting it to the increasing digitalisation of urban environment as a corollary of pandemic. By theorising the concept of citizenship in the digital age through the lens of the evolutionary character of its classical concept or by drawing upon the narratives regarding the democratising potential and risks of the Internet, Emerging Digital Citizenship Regimes explores the complex interaction of social and political variables shaping offline and online civic practices and their intertwined relation to the urban environment, analysing the way it is produced and governed in the COVID-19 new context.

In recent years, Europe has been buffeted by a series of contested crises that seemingly undermine and overwhelm its institutions and ideals: the economic shocks of 2008, the open disputes over migration, the political uncertainty generated by Brexit and the inroads made by various populist and nationalist parties into government.  These interconnected trends have exposed the myth of a cohesive European community. Instead, what can be witnessed is the polarization, fragmentation and displacement of the European public sphere. At the very least, both the perceptions and realities of these crises and the reactions to them have disrupted established patterns of identity and instituted new ones. The emergent discourses of austerity, security, populism and anti-populism, for example, are all rooted in a transforming political landscape. In this context, a re-examination of what it means to belong in and to Europe today is required.  By presenting a rich and wide-ranging collection of the latest interdisciplinary scholarship that carefully unpacks the complex dimensions of European identification, this book considers the contemporary concerns and possibilities for political identification in Europe. Written by scholars from across the continent, this volume presents an enriching insight into the European socio-political condition. Each chapter offers a distinct perspective and detailed analysis of a different aspect of ‘identity’. Together, these chapters constitute an invaluable resource for approaching the challenges facing Europe today.

The North East is one of Britain’s most disadvantaged regions. This area, where wealth was generated from coal, steel and engineering during the Industrial Revolution, has struggled to progress at the same rate as regions in Southern England. With a reliance on public sector services, the North East is set to be one of the hardest hit areas after Britain’s exit from the European Union. The North East after Brexit arises from new research and activities at Northumbria University to shape the future of public sector management in the region. Across a range of new themes and governance, work is focused on how public sector agencies can work better together to shape the Northern economy in the future. The North East is a key partner in the Northern Powerhouse involving three northern regions and is designed to rebalance the northern economy in the UK and bridge the chasm between north and south. This important text is set within the context of the Northern Powerhouse; a highly complex and challenging concept that demands the development of new partnerships across the regions, and the need for collaborative working across city regions in the north. With a focus on Brexit and austerity as key drivers of change, this invaluable text contributes to debates in the region surrounding employment changes and policy directions in a post- Brexit world. It will prove to be an essential read for policy makers, government researchers and those working in the fields of public sector leadership and management. Joyce Liddle is a Professor of Public Leadership and Enterprise, Director of Research and Innovation and John Shutt is a Professor of Public Policy and Management. Both are located at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, UK.