Transcript Performance Failure in the Public Sector

Local Government and the
Research Community
Steve Martin
LOCAL GOVERNMENT KNOWLEDGE
NAVIGATOR SEMINAR
23rd June 2014
A broken bridge?
Analysis, Advocacy and Advice
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Identify local government knowledge needs
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Test whether existing research is relevant to these
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Find and publicise exemplars of councils that are making
the most of research
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Pilot approaches to packaging knowledge - Need 2 Know
reviews
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Advise on ways to better connect local government and
research/researchers
Overview of the state of:
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Local government capacity and knowledge/evidence
needs
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Relevance of existing research base
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Links between research and local government
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Actions to strengthen evidence use by local government
Evidence
Demand
 Reviewed LGA Board papers, LGA/SOLACE policy priorities etc.
 Interviewed key individuals and representatives of networks
Supply
 Reviewed ESRC funded research and other research centres
 Interviewed
 Research centres whose work is relevant to local government
 Funders that commission or produce relevant work
 Organisations that are active in considering evidence needs
(SOLACE Foundation, ESRC, NESTA, Alliance for Useful
Evidence)
Demand - capacity
 Research capacity in local government not strong
 Variable and dwindling in-house capability
 Diminishing resources to commission own research
 Lack capability to scan for and make most of existing
research knowledge and evidence
 Exemplars – effective because of champions and
in spite of existing structures, processes and
incentives
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Demand - attitudes
 Lack of a research isn’t the most significant issue facing
local politicians or managers
 Idea of building local government R&D unfamiliar and
met with some scepticism
 But recognition that austerity means we need
knowledge and evidence to find new solutions
 Interest in focusing publicly funded research on local
government’s needs
Demand - needs
 Accessible, reliable and timely (answer today’s questions)
 Co-definition of problems and co-production of solutions
 Navigation aids and segmentation – who needs what
knowledge and bringing it to their attention
 Translation and transferability - help in understanding
replicability and application in local context
 Focus on local government perspective – national policy
needs not necessarily the same as local needs
 Research methodologies which support innovation
Demand - topics
 Current complex multi-faceted ‘problems’
 Cross local services - ‘place based’ issues
 Not new, but with austerity twist
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Local economic levers
People with learning disabilities
Public health
Local government in a digital age
Local government in an ageing society
Future models of local government
New models of finance
Troubled families
10
Supply: Research councils
ESRC instruments
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Knowledge Exchange, KTPs, IAAs
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PhD studentship schemes
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Venture Partnerships
Existing material and research centres
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Over 100 ESRC funded projects in last four years
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Institute for Local Governance, Durham University

Centre for Population Change, Southampton and St Andrews
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Centre for Market and Public Organisation, Bristol
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Centre for Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy, IFS
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Spatial Economics Research Unit, LSE
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What Works Centres
Plus cross UK Research Council potential
Supply: non RCUK
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Kings Fund – health and social care, telehealth and telecare
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Nuffield Trust - finance and deliver of quality social care
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Centre of Urban and Regional Development Studies, Newcastle
University

INLOGOV at Birmingham, Centre for Local & Regional
Government Research at Cardiff University and LGRU at DMU

Centre for Low Carbon Futures, Leeds University

Joseph Rowntree Foundation - poverty, place and the ageing
society (programmes with Leeds, York and Bradford councils)
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National Foundation for Educational Research
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Public Policy Institutes – Bath, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff,
Liverpool, LSE, Manchester, Southampton, Strathclyde
Actions
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Change cultures in both communities
Improve connectivity between and among the communities
Embed research in local government
Seize some strategic opportunities to harness research