Impact case study database

CURDS’ research has resulted in improvements to subnational economic development and decentralisation policy to address better the UK’s large spatial economic inequalities and highly centralised governance in 3 connected ways:

1. Improved national level devolution policy for England by defining the aims, criteria, and forms of the decentralisation of powers and resources

CURDS’ research has significantly influenced UK Government perspectives on devolution and has provided new evidence to enable improved evidence-based decision-making and more coherent national policies to address the problems of spatial economic inequalities and over-centralised governance. Between 2014 and 2016, 2 key House of Commons CLG Committee inquiries into the department’s spending and policies drew substantially on CURDS’ research (cited 13 times) (IMP1a, b) to recommend the creation of a clearer framework for devolution. This proposal was acknowledged in the UK Government’s 2016 response in seeking to develop its “broad, enabling framework” to provide a “good basis for the devolution agenda to continue to evolve over time” (IMP1c). Reflecting CURDS’ critique and suggested reforms (PUB1, 2), the new framework developed since 2016 represented a substantial change beyond the UK Government’s ad hoc, bottom-up, and deal-by-deal approach towards greater clarity in the rationale, aims, monitoring, and evaluation of devolution policy. CURDS’ role in this policy change is further evidenced by the UK Government’s adoption of the language of a decentralisation “roadmap” in 2020 – a central recommendation of CURDS’ research – by the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government (IMP2). The Area Director of the UK Cities and Local Growth Unit responsible for local growth and devolution in England acknowledged “the significant impacts” of CURDS’ research helped “to strengthen and improve the evidence-base and robustness of the rationales for devolution and local growth policy” and “provided the arguments and rationales which have shaped thinking…in formulating the UK Government’s Devolution White Paper” (IMP3). This evidence demonstrates the reach and significance of CURDS’ research in shaping this ‘road map’ which will be published as the UK Government’s forthcoming Devolution White Paper for England (planned publication 2021 – see Mitigation Statement). CURDS’ research has substantially influenced other high-profile initiatives shaping national government policy for subnational economic development and decentralisation. In 2019, CURDS was invited by the Chair of the UK2070 Commission’s independent national inquiry into city and regional inequalities in the UK to provide evidence to inform its proposals for devolution in England. They acknowledged the “substantive impacts” of CURDS’ research (PUB4) in forming its “arguments, discussions and representations to the UK Government in framing the forthcoming White Paper for a clearer road-map for a structured and systematic approach to devolution in England” to progress the UK Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda to reduce spatial economic inequalities (IMP4).

1. Strengthened subnational governance by clarifying the purpose and roles of Local Enterprise Partnerships in England and enhancing their accountability and performance monitoring

On the basis of his “expertise in the area of English devolution”, Pike was invited to be an Expert Panel Member for the National Audit Office’s (NAO) 2016 LEP study scrutinising public spending for the UK Parliament “ to advise and challenge our work from early conceptual design, to emerging findings and finally draft report” (IMP5). This significant impact is evidenced in the NAO’s 2016 report. It uses issues identified by CURDS’ research in its analysis and recommendations, specifically: assessing the role of LEPs in tackling spatial economic inequalities; strengthening their evaluation; reducing their dependence upon local government; increasing their resources; and enhancing their accountability and transparency (IMP6). Pike’s contributions led to his invitation to provide oral evidence to the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts’ 2016 inquiry scrutinising value for money in national cities and local growth policy. His inputs directly informed 6 of the final report’s 9 recommendations (IMP7a) that were supported and implemented by the UK Government in strengthening its LEP National Assurance Framework (IMP7b). Pike was then engaged by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), responsible for ensuring the economy works for people and places across the UK, to advise on their 2018 review of LEPs. Directly taking up key findings from CURDS’ pathbreaking national research, BEIS’ policy changed to clarify LEPs’ purpose and role, streamline their geographies, strengthen their accountability, governance and performance monitoring, and support their capacity building. As a result of these changes, the NAO’s later 2019 study concluded BEIS had improved LEP governance but needed to strengthen further their accountability. The Head of Local Growth Analysis in BEIS acknowledged the impact of CURDS’ “longstanding research expertise”, “noteworthy contribution” and “valuable insights” on subnational economic development and devolution policy informing the review and policy change (IMP8). Putting CURDS’ research into practice to generate wider benefits for LEPs across England, Kempton’s 2019 work directly impacted Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s (GLLEP) strategy making it “ more innovative and more inclusive” to “ensure our strategy will impact on and benefit a wider range of citizens and businesses” (IMP9).

1. Upgraded design and delivery of strategies, policies and evaluations by assessing City and Regional Growth Deals in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

In England since 2013, CURDS’ pioneering City Deals research directly impacted on the development of the UK Government’s approach to Devolution, City and Regional Growth Deals devolving powers and resources to increase economic development and reduce spatial economic inequalities. Resulting from CURDS’ research, the new deals were upgraded to incorporate clearer strategy and stronger appraisal, monitoring, and evaluation frameworks to improve their delivery and effectiveness. The reach and significance of CURDS’ research impacts extended beyond England to strengthen independent appraisal and evaluation in the deals introduced by the UK and devolved governments since 2014 (IMP10a). From 44 written responses, O’Brien was selected to provide oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament Local Government and Communities Committee which was cited and used in the final report recommendations (IMP10b). As a direct and substantive impact, the deal evaluation frameworks were changed to monitor and assess the potential displacement effects of deals in diverting economic growth and/or job creation between deal and non-deal areas (IMP10b). This change ensured the deals were better focused on maximising their economic development impact and value for public money. In Wales from 2015, CURDS’ research improved the design, development, and implementation of new City and Regional Growth Deals in Cardiff, Swansea and North Wales – covering 3,000,000 people and economies of GBP60,000,000,000 – by providing clearer and stronger rationales for their strengthened accountability, scrutiny, monitoring, and evaluation arrangements (IMP11a). The Wales TUC (Trade Union Congress), representing 48 unions and over 400,000 workers in Wales, confirmed that CURDS’ research ensured that such deal-making was “better understood by decision makers, particularly in local government” (IMP11b). In Northern Ireland from 2019, CURDS’ research helped the design and implementation of two new City Region Deals in Belfast and Derry City and Strabane, covering populations of 1,300,000 and economies of GBP30,000,000,000. Of the 106 participants from the public, private and civic sectors in a workshop on ‘Learning from City Deals’ in Belfast in 2019 organised by CURDS, UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Belfast City Region Deal, a substantial majority committed to changes to improve their focus, formalise governance structures, and leverage private sector investment (IMP12a). The UK Cities and Local Growth Unit Deputy Director acknowledged “the fresh perspectives” from CURDS’ research had “positively supported the agenda and shaped thinking, in particular in regard to appraisal of business cases, monitoring and evaluation” and helped “equip the local partners with the best knowledge and tools to deliver city and growth deals that will transform their regions” (IMP12b). The Belfast City Region Deal Programme Director stated that the impact of CURDS’ research was “the confidence it gave us to have a city deal that was transformative” (IMP12c).