ABSTRACT
The literature on intergovernmental relations (IGR) is extensive and, since no short review could possibly draw together all the disparate threads, this chapter does not attempt to provide a detailed survey or to describe IGR in particular countries. Rather, it emphasizes the various theoretical models which have been used to analyse variations in the relationships between tiers of government and, in particular, those research studies which suggest potentially fruitful approaches to the study of British central-local relations. As with the literature on interorganizational analysis, however, it will be argued that there is no ready-made theory which can simply be transposed to the British context.
