25 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LN

Tel/Fax (0131) 667 9609

e-mail: Hume.Institute@ed.ac.uk Internet: http://www.ed.ac.uk/~hume/

Professor Brian Main, Director of The David Hume Institute said: "The aim of this series is to provide a forum for discussion of some of the major devolution policy issues and developments which have been on Scotland's political agenda in the past 3 years and which continue to confront the Scottish Parliament. The Institute is delighted to welcome Mr Kerley to discuss "The strange death of local government" and it is expected that there will be lively and informed discussion following this seminar".

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Richard Kerley is Director, Full-Time MBA Programme.

Senior Lecturer Department of Business Studies - The Edinburgh Management School

BA (CNNA). Previously at University of Strathclyde as Director of the Scottish Local Authorities Management Centre. Currently Director of the KPMG Executive MBA and Head of Strategy, Innovation and Marketing at Edinburgh University School of Management. Director of the Full-Time MBA at The University of Edinburgh Management School 1995-2000. He has been a board member and chair of business development agencies and he chaired the Scottish Executive Working Party on 'Renewing Local Democracy'. He is currently non-executive chairman of The Audience Business.

His main research interests are how public and private organisations manage strategic change.

Scottish Business and the Scottish Parliament, 2000, The first year of the Scottish Parliament. Edinburgh Report of the working party on renewing local democracy, 2000. Edinburgh Local authority organisation and management - the management of Districts and Regions 1975-1996, 1997. The Scottish Office, Edinburgh. Contracting for the Contract State, 1996, The future of services research. He has also written various research studies in academic journals, such as 'Public Administration'; 'Public Administration Bulletin'; 'Management Services'; 'Local Governance'; 'Regional Studies'; 'Local Government Policy Making'; 'Local Government Studies'.

The views that will be expressed by the speaker are his own and do not commit the Trustees or Officers of the Institute in any way.

The David Hume Institute, 25 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LN

Catriona Laing Tel/Fax (0131) 667 9609

e-mail: Hume.Institute@ed.ac.uk