Governance and Policy Design
We are concerned with explaining key relationships between society, politics and the state in an increasingly complex and uncertain world. We ask questions about how policy is made, who helps to make it, and with what implications, in different social and political contexts. Our research moves from the local practices of NGOs and community organisations (Devine, Jones), to global and regional public policy governance (G. Brown, Carmel, Longstreth, Papadopoulos).
We explain and evaluate the ethical and normative frameworks which shape public policy and how these are translated into practical politics (Deneulin, Butler, Ridge, Troyer). We evaluate frameworks and develop ‘toolkits’ for the design and assessment of policy and practice. We explain processes of innovation and change management (L.Brown, Butler, Copestake, Room).
While some of us are developing theoretical perspectives (Carmel, Deneuelin, Papadopoulos, Room), there is also a wide range of empirical applications, including:
- Scandal, policy failure and the regulation of family life in the UK (Butler, Ridge)
- Anti-poverty in South Asia (Devine)
- Micro-finance in sub-Saharan Africa (Copestake, Johnson)
- Change management in professional social work (L.Brown)
- Political economy and conflict (G.Brown)
- Environmental policy (Jones)
- Public policy in the European Union (Carmel, Papadopoulos)
Our research in this area
| Research | Staff |
|---|---|
| Political economy of development policy transfer and ‘global policy regimes’. | |
| Change management through innovation in public sector services. | |
| The making of public policy for children and young people The micro-politics of policy making. |
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| The governance of the European Union and its constitution as a socio-political and economic space. Developing an analytics of governance for application to public policy and services in the UK and cross-nationally. |
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| Political economy and management of development finance, particularly qualitative and quantitative performance assessment mechanisms. | |
| The ethical underpinnings of public policy, by reference to the ‘capability approach’ – an ethical framework which assesses policy in terms of people’s wellbeing and agency. | |
| The Politics of Policy. Impact of collective action outside the realm of the established political and policy framework on the transformation of the political and public policy fields. Democracy and governance. Social movements’ new practical visions that challenge existing socio-political horizons. How does this help to advance the transformation of politics and policy. Methodological and epistemological issues of policy design. |
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| Everyday and usually informal governance practices and how these relate to people’s experience of poverty: specifically in relation to NGOs and community based organisations, political leaders and political brokers; patron-client relations. | |
| Shifting powers and responsibilities for social and environmental policies and practices between business, governments and civil society organisations. | |
| National and international responses to the globalisation of financial markets and the destruction of the society and the environment. |
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| Lobbying and transparency | |
| Changes in the governance of social security in the UK. Governing the activation of older workers in the European Union. Theorising governance as an analytical approach. The meta-governance of industrial relations in the EU and the role of the European Court of Justice. |
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| Complexity science and institutionalism applied to policy design and practice. | |
| New policies and laws for the handling of the dead body. This is important when considering innovations in final disposition technologies as well as changes to post-mortem law. |
