National policy piloting as steering at a distance: The perspective of local implementers

This article contributes to the literature on tools of governance by examining the role of national policy pilots from the perspective of local implementers, using interviews with directors of adult social services in elected local government in England. Previous research in the same settings has shown that local actors often find the experience of participating in national policy pilots frustrating. This article attempts to explain why local authorities volunteer for such schemes. Drawing on the literature on the varieties of experimentalism and Anglo‐Governmentality, the article explores the ambiguous role of piloting in multilevel governance and reflects on its implications for policy implementation and local service development. Findings suggest that participating in national pilots provides local authorities with access to ideas and resources, and with a mandate for change, which motivates them to voluntarily subjugate themselves to being “steered at a distance” as they align themselves with central government's policy goals.