Local Government and the Research Community Steve Martin LOCAL GOVERNMENT KNOWLEDGE NAVIGATOR SEMINAR 23 rd 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 and incentives 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