Local Government and the Research Community

Steve Martin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT KNOWLEDGE NAVIGATOR SEMINAR

23rd June 2014

A broken bridge?

Identify local government knowledge needs

Test whether existing research is relevant to these

Find and publicise exemplars of councils that are making the most of research

Pilot approaches to packaging knowledge - Need 2 Know reviews

Advise on ways to better connect local government and research/researchers

Analysis, Advocacy and Advice

Overview of the state of:

Local government capacity and knowledge/evidence needs

Relevance of existing research base

Links between research and local government

Actions to strengthen evidence use by local government

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)

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 andincentives

7

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 - attitudes

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 - needs

Demand - topics

Current complex multi-faceted ‘problems’

Cross local services - ‘place based’ issues

Not new, but with austerity twist 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

ESRC instruments Knowledge Exchange, KTPs, IAAs PhD studentship schemes Venture Partnerships

Existing material and research centres Over 100 ESRC funded projects in last four years Institute for Local Governance, Durham University Centre for Population Change, Southampton and St

Andrews Centre for Market and Public Organisation, Bristol Centre for Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy, IFS   Spatial Economics Research Unit, LSE What Works Centres

Plus cross UK Research Council potential

Supply: Research councils

Kings Fund – health and social care, telehealth and telecare

Nuffield Trust - finance and deliver of quality social care 

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)

National Foundation for Educational Research

Public Policy Institutes – Bath, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Liverpool, LSE, Manchester, Southampton, Strathclyde

Supply: non RCUK

Actions

Change cultures in both communities Improve connectivity between and among the

communities Embed research in local government Seize some strategic opportunities to harness

research