ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of government and non-governmental actors in the implementation of European policies. This is explored by referring to empirical material on the delivery of a specific instrument of European urban policy: the Community Initiative URBAN in the period 1994-9. Firstly, the article focuses on the development of an analytical framework for a complex policy area involving a wide range of actors. The analysis then compares and contrasts local experiences of European urban policy by drawing on case study material from two cities in England: Sheffield and London. This highlights how central government, within each member state, can dominate various stages of the European policy process. Yet even in centralized states, other levels of government and a wider range of actors have opportunities to influence the implementation of European policies at local level. The chapter concludes with a brief review of developments since the launch of the URBAN II programme, with reference to the case of Stockwell, London.
