Towards a model of the intervention process

This paper explores the challenging circumstances when one part of government decides that the performance of a subsidiary part is unacceptable and arranges some kind of remedial intervention. Following the detailed analysis of a series of four central local government interventions we develop a model of the intervention process that combines the type of problem addressed (service-specific and/or corporate) and approach to intervention available (challenging and/or supporting). In addition to extending current conceptual understanding of this under-researched phenomenon, the work generates a number of specific practical insights for future intervention policy.