---

Examines recent evidence of a growing symmetry in the operation of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This book makes one of the first systematic and detailed comparisons of the operation of the devolved institutions and machinery of governance. It uses a comparative approach to explore the key workings of government.

---

Introduction Powers and Resources Executive Government Parliaments and Assemblies and their Legislative Role Scrutiny Role of Parliament and Assemblies The Civil Service and Central Administration Quangos and Delegated Governance Local Government Intergovernmental and External Relations Conclusion

---

´This is the first comprehensive review of government across all three devolved parts of the United Kingdom. It is detailed, carefully researched and accurate, and will be essential reading for both practitioners and scholars of the UK´s evolving system of multilevel government.´

- Michael Keating, Professor of Politics, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Aberdeen, UK

---

DEREK BIRRELL Professor of Social Policy in the School of Criminology, Politics and Social Policy, University of Ulster, UK. He was the former Head of the School of Social and Community Sciences, and subsequently the School of Policy Studies. He is the author of the recent books The Impact of Devolution on Social Policy (2009) and Direct Rule and the Governance of Northern Ireland (2009)

---