Building place-based capacity in an asymmetric system: supporting England’s devolution periphery or fuelling political spatial inequality?

Abstract

In many national contexts, asymmetric decentralisation creates political spatial inequalities, as some places are given more power and resources than others. This can exacerbate underlying place-based disadvantages. Capacity-building programmes could offer an important counterweight but, as we show in this paper, they must be attuned to place-based need. Drawing on documentary analysis of the English devolution agenda, this article identifies four pitfalls for capacity-building in asymmetric systems: the neglect of systemic governance capacity; the absence of needs-based allocation; unclear central-local responsibilities; and insufficient attention to spatial inequalities. We propose an integrated strategy to align capacity-building with territorial fairness.