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Stewart, D Floyd, Michael 2011-06-14T12:30:16Z 2011-06-14T12:30:16Z 1983 http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5291 This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University. This thesis explores some of the central problems confronting policymakers and planners in local government. These problems are seen to stem from a view of planning which is characterised as top-down. Previous attempts to apply cybernetic ideas to these problems - characterised as the 'systems approach' - have failed partly on account of their failure to question this view. Cybernetics, it is argued, offers a fundamentally different perspective on planning, which emphasises the importance of processes, whereby the plans and policies of different organisations are mutually adjusted to each other - from the bottom up. The dynamics of this process are examined and cybernetics, most notably the work of Ashby, is shown to offer a number of insights into how it can be facilitated. Such a radical re-assessment of the nature of planning requires, at the same time, a much wider conception of the role of policy. Policies, it is suggested, are all too often thought of as purely prescriptive. A policy framework must instead be regarded as incorporating also a complex hierarchy of values, aims, goals and objectives, whose inter-relationships can be compared to that between the various components of a body of scientific knowledge. Such a perspective on planning and policy-making points towards a novel conception of government. Instead of imposing order from above, its primary function would become that of facilitating and encouraging the mutual adjustment process and collaboration between local organisations. Submitted by Otue Ekong (lbsrooe@brunel.ac.uk) on 2011-06-14T12:29:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 FulltextThesis.pdf: 12996257 bytes, checksum: b8c66bed8be82e1d429c9d1080b1abb4 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Otue Ekong(lbsrooe@brunel.ac.uk) on 2011-06-14T12:30:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 FulltextThesis.pdf: 12996257 bytes, checksum: b8c66bed8be82e1d429c9d1080b1abb4 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2011-06-14T12:30:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FulltextThesis.pdf: 12996257 bytes, checksum: b8c66bed8be82e1d429c9d1080b1abb4 (MD5) en Brunel University School of Engineering and Design PhD Theses http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/5291/1/FulltextThesis.pdf Policy-makers Planners Systems approach Nature of planning Policy framework A cybernetic perspective on policy-making and planning in local government Thesis