One of IPEG’s key strengths is its expertise in local & regional governance. This is underlined with the work of Professor Gerry Stoker, who has published widely in this field and includes, ‘Transforming Local Governance from Thatcherism to New Labour’, which was praised in a House of Commons debate and described as seminal, alongside ‘British Local Government into the 21st Century’, with David Wilson. Both were published in 2004. Gerry Stoker also recently published his pamphlet ‘What is Local Government For?’ which goes to the heart of the current debate about the future of local and regional governance in England and has received a lot of attention.

IPEG’s current research on local and regional governance is largely channelled through the Evaluating Local Governance (ELG) project, which is a five-year evaluation of changes to local government arising from the Local Government Act of 2000. This ODPM funded research looks at the working of new council constitutions and the integral new ethical frameworks and forms part of a group of evaluations of the local modernisation agenda. It has been looking at this from two perspectives. First, whether the legislation has fulfilled the ambitions of policymakers from a top-down view; and secondly, a bottom-up approach of how the new arrangements meet the needs of citizens and officials more locally. This project has produced a stream of reports and has already had an influence on policy developments in the area. Several book chapters, conferences papers and one article in Public Administration have come from the material in this project. More articles and conferenc epapers are under development. A book is under preparation and should be completed by early to mid-2007.

In addition, a project for the Standards Board for England about how to establish an ethical environment in the governance arrangements of local authorities is under way and will be completed in mid-2006. For more information, please click here for the project web page. Also, Peter John is being assisted by Tessa Brannan and Catherine Durose on a HEIF-funded project investigating best practice in local government. It will examine how local authorities generate, disseminate, and utilise best practice in the fields of regeneration and community safety. Professor Hal Wolman from George Washington University will provide academic collaboration to this work.

IPEG staff have been instrumental in disseminating research on local & regional governance. Gerry Stoker was invited to give key note talks on the trends in local governance in international conferences organised by the Municipal Association of Victoria, Australia in 2003 and 2005. He also was an invited keynote speaker at the United Nations 6th Annual Forum on rethinking government held in Seoul, Korea in May 2005. Furthermore, a visit to China (Beijing and Hangzhou) by Professor Stoker has produced useful links with University of Science and Technology in Beijing and Zhejiang University. Professor Peter John has been invited to give talks on local government leadership, and on city regions. He has given papers on policy change in urban policy to the American Political Science Association and to a meeting of the policy agendas project in Denmark. He has also talked about policy instruments to the IEP in Paris.

Collectively Gerry Stoker, Mike Emmerich and Peter John are active members of the debate about future of local and regional governance in England, including discussions at ministerial level and regularly appear on conference platforms and at events sponsored by HM Treasury, No 10 and the Cabinet Office, ODPM, the Local Government Association, SOLACE, the Standards Board and other public bodies.