This paper sets out a research agenda for using regulation theory to analyse local governance in the global city. It initially considers results from the 1991 census to explore social inequalities in London, and investigates how these differ from inequalities in other British metropolitan areas. The paper then looks at the changing nature of local governance in London, examining the notion of post-Fordist local governance as well as the idea of local governance in a post-Fordist society. Finally, the paper examines the ways in which the recent emergence of London as a global city articulates with the changing structures of governance. Whilst on the surface there appears to be a good fit between the restructuring of local governance and the globalisation of London's key economic sectors, the paper argues that there are both empirical and theoretical grounds for rejecting the claim that we are moving towards a new mode of regulation in the global city.
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