THE DETERMINANTS OF VOTER TURNOUT IN ENGLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

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Does knowledge brokering facilitate evidence-based policy? A review of existing knowledge and an agenda for future research

The claim that evidence-based policy (EBP) produces better outcomes has gained increasing support over the last three decades. Knowledge brokering (KB) is seen as a way to achieve improved policymaking and governments worldwide are investing significant resources in KB initiatives. It is therefore important to understand the range of these activities and to investigate whether and how they facilitate EBP. This article critically reviews the extant literature on KB. It identifies six important limitations: the existence of multiple definitions of KB; a lack of theory-based empirical analysis; a neglect of knowledge brokering organisations; insufficient research on KB in social policy; limited analysis of impact and effectiveness; and a lack of attention to the role played by politics. The paper proposes an agenda for future research that bridges disciplinary boundaries in order to address these gaps and contribute new insights into the politics of evidence use

Defining, achieving, and evaluating collaborative outcomes: a theory of change approach

This paper has been co-authored with colleagues at the Centre for Public Policy, Cardiff University The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Governments have repeatedly claimed that collaboration improves public service outcomes. However, defining, achieving and evaluating collaborative outcomes is often problematic. Analysis of multi-sectoral projects in Wales, which were supported by the European Social Fund, exemplifies these challenges. Shifts in policy discourses and the interplay between national and local agendas produced complex and contested understandings of outcomes which made difficult to evaluate the projects’ achievements. We argue that the pursuit of collaboration needs to be understood not simply as an attempt to improve public service effectiveness but also ‘cultural efficacy’. The conclusions offer reflections relevant for theory and practice

What counts as evidence for policy? An analysis of policy actors' perceptions

Evidence plays a growing role in public administration worldwide. We analyze the perceptions of policy actors, using Q methodology and a structured questionnaire, which reveals four types of profiles. Most policy actors did not fit neatly into an Evidence‐Based Policy‐Making (EBPM) group. Instead, they either had a pragmatic view where context and policy issues influence what counts as evidence, an inclusive position which emphasized the importance of considering a range of different types of evidence, or a political perspective where power relations and politics influence what counts as evidence. Our research also illustrates how different actors in the same community can have different perceptions of evidence, and how this can change over time due to experience and career trajectory

Knowledge brokering organisations: A new way of governing evidence

Background: Government-funded knowledge brokering organisations (KBOs) are an increasingly prevalent yet under-researched area. Working in the space between knowledge and policy, yet framing themselves as different from think tanks and academic research centres, these organisations broker evidence into policy. Aims and objectives: This article examines how three organisations on different continents develop similar narratives and strategies to attempt to inform policymaking and build legitimacy. Methods: Using documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews, it shows how the organisations construct their credibility and legitimacy, and make sense of their emergence, activities and relationships with policymakers. Findings: The study responds to the lack of political focus on many existing studies, examining how KBOs make sense of their origins and roles, articulating notions of evidence, and mobilising different types of legitimacies to do so. The research also addresses an empirical gap surrounding the emergence and activities of KBOs (not individuals), analysing organisations on three different continents. Discussion and conclusions: KBOs developed similar narratives of origins and functions, despite emerging in different contexts. Furthermore, they build their legitimacy/ies in similar ways. Our research improves our understanding of how a new ‘tool’ in the evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM) arsenal – KBOs – is being mobilised by different governments in similar ways

Contracting for Social Cohesion: Can Local Area Agreements Make a Difference?

Summary. Under the Labour government, Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) in England were responsible for the delivery of Local Area Agreements (LAAs) – agreed targets between central and local government. This paper uses statistical techniques and local authority case studies to explore the impact of LAAs on LSPs’ efforts to promote social cohesion. The results suggest that LSPs with an LAA for social cohesion experienced a better rate of improvement in community cohesiveness than those without, and that tougher targets resulted in stronger improvement. The impact of changes in LSPs approaches to promoting social cohesion appears to be responsible for this finding

We asked, you said, we did: assessing the drivers and effectiveness of an e-participation practice in Scotland

E-participation refers to the process of engaging citizens and stakeholders in policy and decision-making process to make public administration participatory and transparent. This chapter explores the main drivers behind the introduction of an e-participation practice in Scotland called We asked, you said, we did, and assesses its effectiveness. The combination of documentary analysis of Scottish public sector reform reports and a series of in-depth interviews reveals that the so-called Scottish Approach to policy-making has strongly influenced the adoption and use of We asked, you said, we did. The practice has contributed to the way the Scottish Government works in collaboration with stakeholders and citizens in designing and revising policy and has fostered the co-production of solutions to public policy problems. However, the Scottish Government need to utilize it at the ‘right’ time and on appropriate issues so that it can make a real difference to policy outcomes

The local government response to austerity in a small devolved country: the case of Wales

The 2008 Global Financial Crisis and subsequent austerity drive across Europe and North America has been particularly felt at a local government level. Wales presents a valuable case study through which to explore the impact of austerity on local government: it is a small country with a devolved government that is philosophically opposed to austerity, yet where cuts to local government have been drastic. Drawing on interviews with Welsh councils and key stakeholders, this paper explores three approaches councils have taken to managing austerity – efficiency, investment, and retrenchment – and finds that councils were already at a financial ‘tipping point’ before the pandemic. This paper concludes by considering the lessons that could be applied to the new challenge of recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic

What determines ethical behavior in public organizations:is it rules and/or leadership?

Leadership is widely seen as having an important role in fostering ethical conduct in organizations, but the way that leaders intersect with formalised ethical codes in shaping conduct has been little researched. This paper examines this issue through a qualitative study of the operation of the ‘ethical framework’ for English local government; which entailed all councils adopting inter alia a code of conduct to regulate the behaviour of politicians. Local government exemplifies an under-considered aspect of ethical leadership research – the effects of multiple people in leadership roles (managers and politicians) – and demonstrates the value of translational models of power to understand how agency is exercised on ethical conduct. The study finds that organizations with persistently good conduct have multiple leaders that demonstrate good conduct, who act and interact to pre-empt the escalation of problems, but also that such leaders act to minimise explicit, direct use of ethics regulation