Our research

• Governance and policymaking: we study how organisations, partnerships and networks produce policies and influence events. By looking at issues such as  power, accountability and effective administration, together with factors such as politicians, pressure groups, frontline staff and external shocks, we will improve understanding of policy agendas, the policymaking process and delivery. We also examine why some policies change over time; and the role of public participation, user empowerment, and co-production in policy formulation and delivery
• We examine how public services are organised and managed to deliver policy: the roles of service commissioners, providers, regulators, users and other stakeholders, and the challenges of implementing policy innovations and interventions
• New and exciting ways to do research on policy and governance

Our impact

A cornerstone of our work is evaluation and exploring policy outcomes: by investigating fields such as healthcare, transport or nutrition we explore why and how policies are implemented and their success. Through engagement with local, national and international policymakers, practitioners, academics and the wider public, we are building a more complete picture of how governance works, and are helping to shape policies to improve lives across the world.

We work closely with the University’s Political and Public Affairs Unit to communicate effectively with policymakers in government. Find out more about engaging with decision-makers to shape future policy impact.

Our University

Such approaches are possible thanks to our multidisciplinary strengths and close links to policymakers, practitioners and those experiencing policy challenges at first-hand. It is truly international as we cover governance and policymaking in many countries and at super-national level. Applying lessons learnt from different areas and cultures further widens our international outlook.

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