6 August 2008
Votes and Voices Publication
Liz Richardson of IPEG has contributed to collection of essays: Votes and Voices; the complementary nature of representative and participative democracy.
Votes and Voices brings together a wide range of views and perspectives on local democracy from across local government, the voluntary sector and academia, and examines how participative democracy can help to strengthen representative democracy and accountability.
13 June 2008
Who Delivers Public Services - Launch event
James Rees and Liz Richardson of IPEG recently launched completed research on the expanding role of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in delivering public services in the North West.
They carried out a survey that asked about the involvement of VCS organisations in the delivery of public services under contract to date, and explored attitudes to future involvement and its wider implications.
The results suggest there is a high degree of interest and optimism amongst organisations about service delivery, but also awareness of potential problems and pitfalls, both for themselves and the sector as a whole. Many were positive about the benefits that involvement would bring to their organisations and the clients and communities they served. The report highlights a number of key policy recommendations, particularly a plea for better understanding of the sector by public sector commissioners.
The IPEG Report "Who Delivers Public Services" is now available.
12 May 2008
Taking action on empowerment: Spring Keynote Conference
Liz Richardson of IPEG is to present at the Taking action on empowerment: Spring Keynote conference.
Top1 May 2008
Who Delivers Public Services
James Rees and Liz Richardson of IPEG recently launched completed research on the expanding role of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in delivering public services in the North West. They presented key findings from their report to the conference, held at Wigan Investment Centre, which also:
- Showcased relevant research findings from across the North of England
- Kicked off a lively and informed debate between participants from the third sector and public sector
- And made considerable progress in refining recommendations on how the agenda could be improved and expanded, as well as recommending some key avenues for further research
The IPEG Report "Who Delivers Public Services" will shortly be available in final form.
Top25 April 2008
IPEG research to be presented at the National University of Singapore
Alongside colleagues from the Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures (RICC, University of Manchester), Matthew Goodwin will be presenting some of our latest research on ethnic diversity and 'community cohesion' at the 'Perspectives on City Scales and Cosmopolitan Cultures' workshop on 12-14 May.
The workshop aims to bring together scholars and researchers from different regions to engage in a fruitful dialogue and debate on cosmopolitanism with the aim of developing comparative perspectives on the diverse range of urban experiences in cities across Europe and Asia.
More information about the event can be found via the link below:
Top7 April 2008
New Director of IPEG
On 1 April, Prof. Alan Harding succeeded Prof. Peter John as Director of IPEG for an initial period of 3 years. Peter remains as a co-director and will continue to lead substantial elements of IPEG's research programme.
On taking up his appointment, Alan said 'I look forward to leading IPEG in the next phase of its development, building upon the very solid base put in place by my predecessors. These are exciting times, within the University of Manchester and beyond, for research on economic and political governance.'
'During my time as Director I will be looking to enhance IPEG's status and profile, build its reputation as an academically rigorous, outward-facing organisation that makes innovative contributions to public policy development and professional practice, and extend the network of colleagues we work with, inside and outside the University, so we can maximise the impact that social science in Manchester has on important debates.'
Top25 March 2008
The rediscovery of the civic: investigation through experiments
Experimental approaches to the study of civic behaviour will be the focus of a panel discussion at the Political Studies Association conference in Swansea in early July 2008. The panel will discuss the early research from the “Rediscovering the civic and achieving better outcomes in public policy” project, a joint initiative by IPEG and the Centre for Citizenship and Democracy at the University of Southampton. An additional paper will report on an experimental investigation into how citizens find government-related information.
The paper is available for download via the link below:
Top13 March 2008
Comprehensive Performance Assessment: efficiency versus fairness?
The Oxford Policy Institute's (OPI) current newsletter includes coverage of their January symposium on institutions, incentives and public sector performance, and features a paper presented by Peter John. For more information download the OPI newsletter via the link below:
- Oxford Policy Institute Newsletter - Issue 5, February 2008 (PDF format)
- Oxford Policy Institute website
29 February 2008
Paradoxes of Modernization: Puzzles and Unintended Consequences
Peter John recently contributed to one of a series of workshops being run by Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford where he presented the following paper: 'Why do High Performing Local Authorities Strive to Improve their Performance When the General Public only Notices the Poor Performers? Voter Reaction to Incumbents' Performance in English Local Governments, 1999-2007'.
For more information about the Public Service Workshop Series please visit the Oxford Internet Institute website via the link below:
Top12 February 2008
Who Delivers Public Services? The role of tenants and residents groups
Wednesday February 7th saw the staging of a successful round table event attended by over forty representatives from tenants' and residents' groups across the North West. The event was expertly chaired by Bernard Caine, Chair of the North West Tenants and Residents Assembly (NWTRA)
The key messages were that:
- The voluntary and community sector includes an incredibly wide range of types and sizes of organisations
- Smaller groups feel marginalised in the current policy agenda
- Tenants' and residents' groups play a part in supplying the delivery of services but do not always recognise themselves as doing so
Presentations from the event are availabe for download from the event home page via the link below:
Top1 February 2008
Book Launch - DIY Community Action: Neighbourhood problems and community self-help
To mark the release of Liz Richardson's new book: 'DIY Community Action', two launch events will be taking place in March. The first event takes place at Trafford Hall near Chester on March 10th and is aimed at practitioners. The second event will take place on March 12th at the London School of Economics and is aimed at policymakers and academics.
For more information please visit the launch event pages via the links below:
Top1 February 2008
Media coverage of the Northern Way report
'The Northern Connection' report for the Northern Way (see news item below from 24/01/08) has been featured in both the national and regional press. A link to a small article from the Financial Times can be found below:
Top24 January 2008
Northern Way welcomes new evidence of the economic potential of the North
Alan Harding presented the findings of a major new study of the characteristics of the Northern economy at a Northern Way research event today at the Lowry, Salford Quays. The Northern Way-funded research highlights the opportunities to reduce the prosperity gap between the regions, and challenges traditional perceptions of the North-South divide.
'The Northern Connection', produced by a team bringing together the Institute for Political and Economic Governance (IPEG) and the Centre for Urban Policy Studies (CUPS) at the University of Manchester offers important new insights into the economic links between cities and regions and about the continuing and increasing importance of the key urban centres in driving growth and development.
The press release, main report: 'The Northern Connection' and three accompanying thematic reports can be found via the links below:
- Northern Way welcomes new evidence of the economic potential of the North - Press Release
- The Northern Way