ABSTRACT
Numerous empirical studies (for example Cooke et al., 1993; Nagel, 1994; Kohler-Koch, 1996, 1998; Loughlin, 1996a; Knodt, 1998; Lange, 1998) have emphasised that regional development efforts are usually heavily dependent on functioning public-private relationships, within a wider framework of cooperation between various types of actors within the region. Regional mobilisation and political exchange are seen as facilitators of success. The basic idea here is that the pooling of regional resources and a joint approach to regional interest representation helps to establish a region in both economic and political terms, as a worthwhile place to live and invest in, and as a serious partner to do business with. However, this also raises the question to what extent this process may lead to a significant —and possibly unduly large-influence by specific private interests in the process of regional interest formation and public policy-making, thus altering the nature of regional governance. This chapter addresses the question: what are chances for and the constraints on public-private co-operation in the specific environments of the Welsh and Saxon polities, and what will be the influence of these interactions on the practical conduct of regional governance?
