Book review: Local democracy, civic engagement and community: from New Labour to the Big Society

"Local Democracy, Civic Engagement and Community: From New Labour to the Big Society." Hugh Atkinson. Manchester University Press. September 2012. --- This accessible book includes an analysis of local democracy, civic engagement and participation across a range of policy areas and in the context of debates around accountability, legitimacy, sustainability, localism and the ‘big society’. Drawing on a wide range of examples, Hugh Atkinson argues that local democracy is a vibrant terrain of innovation, civic engagement and participation, and dynamic community activity. The book’s insights will prove invaluable to any students, lecturers and local government officers interested in mapping the shifting terrain of contemporary local governance in England, writes Andrew Wilkins.