Local Government Studies – (M.Phil.)

Contents

Research interests of staff
* Procurement; contracting; supply management and sourcing; commissioning; partnerships; corporate governance; accountability; centre–local politics; institutionalism and policy analysis; and dynamics of policy change.
* Working relations between politicians, managers and professionals.
* Government’s social exclusion and child poverty programmes, nationally and locally; early childhood and cultural identity; family dynamics; research methodology training – qualitative data and educational research; child psychology – advisory consultancy.
* The role of small parties; comparative politics; policy analysis; elections and quantitative methodologies.
* Performance management in the public sector; assessment frameworks for public and local governance; evaluation and monitoring of public programmes; strategic management of public organisations; marketing and quality management for public services.
* Local government politics; political management arrangements in local government; the organisation, structure and processes of political parties and the party group; citizen participation; the developing role of the councillor; directly elected mayors; local representative democracy and democratic innovation at the local level.
* Partnerships and governance; economic and environmental strategies; waste management; role of agencies and arms-length companies in the development process; local government in Central and Eastern Europe; procurement; the modernisation agenda and local government scrutiny processes.
* Local government politics; local democracy; councillors and representational roles and the modernisation agenda; participation at the local level; methods of public involvement; single-issue and local protest/campaign groups.
* Public, voluntary and community sector organisations; inter-organisational relations; partnership and collaborative working; local authority relations and organisational culture, development, leadership and learning; working with voluntary and community sector organisations and tenant participation.
* Criminal justice; local authority decriminalised parking enforcement; goods and services; qualitative research support throughout the department; interviews, questionnaires, surveys, observation, literature and internet/media searches with particular interests in engaging with young people.
* Theory and practice of democracy including democratic discourse, particularly at local level; governance of policy processes and the effect of democratic influences on public policy; theory and analysis of discourse from a critical discourse analytic perspective.
* Information management; organisational change; e-government and its relationship to and transformation of local government services and democracy; the impact of ICT; modernisation and improvement of local government.
* Politics of local government; local elections, electoral reform and electoral behaviour; party politics; political leadership and management; member–officer relations; central–local relations; use of consumer and opinion research in local government; the modernisation agenda and the implementation of executive local government.
* Community governance; dynamics of policy change; public sector organisation in Europe; community participation and voluntary sector engagement in area-based partnerships; health policy organisation and change; mobilisation and development of political campaigns; dynamics and local protest.
* Politics of local government; political structures and management; party structures and organisation; mayoral and cabinet systems; members' allowances, support and expenses; citizens' juries and other forms of democratic innovation; overcoming barriers to public service; and the politics of US state and local government.
* Governance and leadership; relationships between central and local government, and between government and the voluntary sector; civil society; social research and research methods.
* Complex decision-making in infrastructure and urban restructuring; network management; public-private partnerships; trust in complex decision-making and networks; institutions and institutional design in governance networks; democratic anchorage of governance networks and complex decision-making.
* Public sector marketing and its relationship with public policy and management; government and voluntary sector relationships; partnership working and the modernisation agenda.
* New management in local government; business planning and marketing; dealing with inadequate performance and performance management; management of regulation and inspection.
* Criminal and civil justice, management and organisation; local government organisation and political structures; central–local relations; local authority parking enforcement.
* Local governance and management; community leadership, planning and strategies; strategic management; organisational development and change; management training and development; member development; performance management and rural proofing.
* New forms of local authority accountability, management and government of public services; development of partnership working and service quality; quangos, partnerships, hybrids and appointed bodies; standards of conduct and the wider question of improvement in local authority performance.
* Links with the voluntary and community sectors; public service management; partnerships and working relationships between local government and other public services and the Voluntary and Community Sectors; community engagement; contracting and commissioning and rural proofing.
* Public sector management and policy-making; the voluntary sector; local public policy and strategy; housing policy; democratic practice and the future of local governance.
* Citizens' perceptions of the public sector; government–citizen relations, public sector performance; trust in government; comparative public administration; governance indicators; survey research.
* Scrutiny of finance and budgeting; Comprehensive Area Assessment; economics of contracting and procurement; local government finance and international comparisons; public sector efficiency and performance management; financial management; public choice theory; organisational review; risk management and quantitative techniques, statistics and econometrics.
* Policy implementation studies; central and local government relations; regulation of local government; local authority corporate management scrutiny; public sector performance, procurement and efficiency; public consultation and participation; organisation dynamics.
* The development of effective leadership, strategy and service delivery to individuals, communities and citizens; user and community-focused evaluation of public service effectiveness and value for money; political and strategic leadership of whole-system networks and partnerships; inter-agency strategic and practice partnerships; commissioning and contracting; social and criminal justice management; monitoring and evaluating the impact of service delivery; financial management and inter-agency partnerships.
* Service delivery within the local authority; power relationships between service users and providers; disabled people's involvement in service delivery; equality and diversity policy; person-centred services and innovative research methodology.
* Managers and organisational models of management; organisation development; management and employee development; elected member development; policy implementation; leadership and action enquiry and action learning facilitation.