ABSTRACT
The present government has placed great emphasis on the design and delivery of ‘joined-up’ policy, including ‘joined-up’ spatial policy. The Regional Development Agencies represent one of the major components of the new territorial institutional framework, which is charged with the task of achieving integrated planning, development and management. However, in creating the RDAs, it is questionable as to whether the introduction of an additional element onto an already crowded, and some would argue over-complex, regional platform is a step forward or a recipe for future confusion. Answering this question involves a consideration of the progress of the technical-professional, administrative and governance dimensions of the new regional agenda.
