ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the origins of geographical studies of service provision and examines the major conclusions to have emerged from empirical research. It also examines three major theoretical perspectives that are most frequently offered to account for variations in service provision pluralism, managerialism, and structuralism. The chapter derives some clear lessons for future studies of territorial justice. Following from the earlier work of Davies, he argued that 'spatial' or 'territorial' justice would ensue from the allocation of resources on the basis of 'need'. However, as demonstrated in the chapter, the various pluralist, managerialist and structuralist interpretations emphasise the importance of particular features to the exclusion of others. Saunders argues that the pluralist and structuralist views are essentially ideological in character since their methodological presuppositions prevent any empirical repudiation of their main features.
