The impacts of attempts to stimulate private sector involvement and investment in the urban regeneration process : the case of the city of Glasgow

Simpson, Ewan (1999) The impacts of attempts to stimulate private sector involvement and investment in the urban regeneration process : the case of the city of Glasgow. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the impact of attempts to stimulate private sector involvement and investment in the urban regeneration process, looking at the case of urban regeneration institutions operating, and policies implemented, in disadvantaged areas of the city of Glasgow. Successive governments; analyses of the urban problem and the perceived role of the private sector in these are critically analysed and an alternative advanced. The history of attempts to stimulate private sector participation in the regeneration process in the USA and UK is discussed to introduce the delivery structures and policies pursued in Glasgow in the post war period. A review of the economic history of the city and the characteristics of its disadvantaged areas highlight the weakness of the city economy and the scale of the regeneration problem.

The key original fieldwork elements of the thesis investigate the findings of a survey of attitudes in the private sector towards the regeneration process, the impacts of private sector participation in organisational structures and attempts to stimulate investment through the labour and property market. Further, a survey of key players in the business community assesses private sector attitudes to the regeneration process. The research argues that the rationales for stimulating participation advanced by proponents are flawed. Those concerned with organisational aspects confuse concerns over ownership with those of effective management. In investment terms there are major weaknesses in the attempt to adapt market failure policies to fundamentally redistributive issues. Analysis of policy history shows that there has been convergence towards a holistic approach attempting to address both growth and redistributive issues and that the City of Glasgow is a good example of this. Empirical evidence shows that business opinion is relatively well informed about the issues to be addressed but not about the agencies charged with delivering policy.

Although the importance of the issues is recognised, attitudes in the private sector are largely negative on the potential for additional intervention from this source to assist in their resolution. The impacts of participation on delivery structures are limited because a public sector culture and funding structure dominates, allowing private sector representatives to input only at the margins.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races; H Social Sciences > HG Finance; H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Supervisor's Name: Supervisor, not known
• Date of Award: 1999
• Depositing User: Elaine Ballantyne
• Unique ID: glathesis:1999-2740
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 13 Jul 2011
• Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 13:59
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/2740