Conceptualising local approaches to tackling worklessness through neoliberal frameworks : the New Deal for Communities Programme as classic 'flanking strategy'

Policy-makers have shown considerable enthusiasm for devolving responsibility for tackling worklessness to the local level. This approach has been critiqued by scholars who conceptualise targeted spatial interventions as ‘flanking strategies’ that co-opt individuals or neighbourhood-based organisations in the service of neoliberal goals. This paper draws on the national evaluation of the New Deal for Communities Programme to argue that such accounts neglect the voice of local actors. Empirical analysis shows that the programme is, in many ways, a classic flanking strategy but one which commands significant support among staff and participants. The paper concludes that this enthusiasm cannot easily be dismissed as co-option.