Sarah Ayres - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sarah Ayres

Contemporary Social Science

The aim of this article is to examine what needs to happen in central, sub-regional and local gov... more The aim of this article is to examine what needs to happen in central, sub-regional and local government to ‘level up’ public health in the United Kingdom (UK). The Government's recent Levelling Up White Paper outlined ambitious targets for reducing regional disparities, including a ‘mission’ to tackle inequalities in healthy life expectancy and reduce inequalities in the social determinants of health outcomes. However, the approach has been criticised for failing to integrate population health policy objectives, programmes and interventions into the implementation of the levelling up agenda and its associated ‘missions’. Drawing on a case study of promoting healthy urban development in the UK, we examine how the wider determinants of health might be incorporated into the Government's levelling up strategy. Based on in-depth interviews with 132 urban development actors, our findings reveal that long-term investment in healthy urban development could play a key role in levelling up public health but is not currently part of the Government's plans. We make a timely contribution to the levelling up debate by placing public health centre stage in social science debates. We conclude by offering a series of recommendations for transformative policy change to level up health.

Policy & Politics

The aim of this article is to explore the types of health evidence that diverse actors find most ... more The aim of this article is to explore the types of health evidence that diverse actors find most persuasive in a complex policy system. The impact of evidence depends on many factors, including how it is presented and translated to audiences. If diverse actors are to address complex health challenges collectively, it helps if they can draw on evidence that is accessible and meaningful to all. We explore how this can be done through a case study of promoting healthy urban development in the United Kingdom. Based on 132 in-depth interviews with critical actors from across the urban development system, we examined the types of evidence actors find most helpful. While there was some variation by sector, actors revealed a strong preference for narratives with a strong emotional impact, supported by credible evidence. Urban development decision makers are persuaded by both qualitative and quantitative evidence, although there was a slight preference among the public sector for quantitativ...

The introduction of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in the English regions in 1999 presented... more The introduction of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in the English regions in 1999 presented a new set of collaborative challenges to existing local institutions. The key objectives of the new policy impetus emphasise increased joined-up thinking and holistic regional governance. Partners were enjoined to promote cross-sector collaboration and present a coherent regional voice. This study aims to evaluate the impact of an RDA on the partnership infrastructure of the West Midlands. The RDA network incorporates a wide spectrum of interest and organisations with diverse collaborative histories, competencies and capacities. The study has followed partners through the process over an eighteen-month period and has sought to explore the complexities and tensions of partnership working 'on the ground'. A strong qualitative methodology has been employed in generating 'thick descriptions' of the policy domain. The research has probed beyond the 'rhetoric' of partn...

International Journal of Public Leadership, 2021

This article sets out a new research agenda for decentered public leadership. Nested in the conce... more This article sets out a new research agenda for decentered public leadership. Nested in the concept of decentered theory, it examines the messy and contested nature of public leadership practices in different contexts. Drawing on recent empirical studies that have adopted a decentered approach to examining public leadership, it sets out a future research agenda that places individuals, history and context at the heart of explanations for public leadership in action.

This report presents the findings of a one-year study that has explored how Bristol Pound (Bristo... more This report presents the findings of a one-year study that has explored how Bristol Pound (Bristol£) has used informal governance as a leadership asset to effect progressive social change at city level. Informal governance is the undocumented interaction that actors often use behind the scenes in pursuit of objectives. Informal working can shape policy-making and city leadership in both positive and negative ways. On the one hand, it can assist in addressing political and policy problems which cannot be solved by traditional government institutions, leading to more effective, inclusive and innovative decision-making. On the other, it can weaken transparency, accountability and legitimacy by undermining traditional (more formal) administrative structures.

Regional Studies, Regional Science, 2020

There is increasing pressure on academics to show the impact of their research. At the same time,... more There is increasing pressure on academics to show the impact of their research. At the same time, policymakers are expected to draw upon a wide base of evidence, including academic research, to develop innovative solutions to often intractable societal problems. Despite these complementary objectives of impact and use of evidence, the relationship between academics and policy-makers is often difficult. Some have characterized these groups as 'two worlds', each with differing objectives, methods and timeframes. This paper explores the issues associated with this problem and outlines a new approach to research which seeks to engage both government agencies and academics. It makes use of a publishing initiative of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) to produce research that is of value to both government officials and academic researchers. This method aimed to develop a shared understanding with the potential to benefit both groups. While the focus of the research was on place-based regional policy, comparable methods could be applied to many other questions of interest to both governments and researchers working in regional studies and other social science fields.

Regional Studies Policy Impact Books, 2020

Public Policy and Administration, 2020

The aim of this article is to examine the impact of informal governance on democratic legitimacy.... more The aim of this article is to examine the impact of informal governance on democratic legitimacy. It draws on the literatures on informal governance and decentred theory to examine how governance mechanisms that are un-written, un-codified and non-institutional impact on democratic legitimacy in governance networks. Drawing on a case study of English devolution in the United Kingdom, this article explores how informal governance impacts on different dimensions of legitimacy – input, throughout and output. It does so by drawing on the narratives and stories of central government officials directly involved in English devolution between 2015 and 2018. Findings reveal that even when formal structures are weak, democratic legitimacy can be secured, especially in promoting effective decision making and problem solving – throughput legitimacy. Nonetheless, a decentred analysis has shown a high level of selectivity and differentiation in central-local relationships that undermine legitimat...

Public Administration, 2018

Regional Studies, 2018

Place leadership and regional economic development: a framework for cross-regional analysis. Regi... more Place leadership and regional economic development: a framework for cross-regional analysis. Regional Studies, 53(2) pp. 171-182. For guidance on citations see FAQs.

Regional Studies, 2017

In recent decades, the devolution of power to subnational regional authorities has formed a key e... more In recent decades, the devolution of power to subnational regional authorities has formed a key element of what has been termed the 'unravelling' or 'unbundling' of the state in many parts of the world. Even in the United Kingdom, with its distinctive global reputation as a power-hoarding majoritarian democracy, the devolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since 1998 can be located within this broader devolutionary dynamic. In recent years, this process has focused on 'the English question' and a reform agenda that claimed to offer a 'devolution revolution'. This paper offers the first research-led analysis of the scope, scale and implications of these post-2015 reforms to English governance. It utilizes Jim Bulpitt's statecraft approach to explore the changing nature of centre-periphery relationships within England. The main conclusion has been that a 'rhetoric-reality gap' currently exists and a 'devolution revolution' has not occurred.

Public Management Review, 2016

The aim of this article is to examine the role played by 'informal governance' in shaping politic... more The aim of this article is to examine the role played by 'informal governance' in shaping political innovation. Informal governance can be defined as a means of decision-making that is un-codified, non-institutional and where social relationships play crucial roles. This article explores the impact of informal governance on three dimensions of political innovationinnovations in polity (institutions), politics (process) and policy (outcomes). It argues that an analysis of informal governance is essential if we are to fully understand how political innovation occurs. Research evidence suggest that even when formal structures and procedures are weak, political innovation can still thrive.

Regional Studies, Regional Science, 2013

This article draws on the concepts of scale, agency and theory to offer some reflections on the l... more This article draws on the concepts of scale, agency and theory to offer some reflections on the leadership of regions, cities and communities. It builds upon the work of A. Beer and T. Clower ([2013]. Mobilizing leadership in cities and regions, Regional Studies, Regional Science, forthcoming) who call for a more focussed and theoretically informed enquiry on place-based leadership. First, it argues that scale matters in the leadership of territory and the skills and resources required to manage cities compared to small communities will differ greatly. Second, conceptions of placebased leadership need to remain open minded about where leadership can be derived and the potential for bottom-up, creative responses to shape the leadership of place. Finally, there has been work in other disciplines, most notably, policy network theory, that might be used to inform an understanding of place-based leadership. Bringing the literatures together on policy network theory, territorial governance and leadership offers a fruitful avenue for future research.

Regional Studies, 2012

Network management is viewed as a way of dealing with uncertainty in complex policy networks but ... more Network management is viewed as a way of dealing with uncertainty in complex policy networks but little is known about the types of network management strategies employed by regional actors to manage vertical and horizontal relations. Two central questions guide this paper (i) What network management strategies were employed to manage complexity and uncertainty in regional governance networks in England? (ii) How can past lessons be harnessed to inform future network strategies for managing territorial networks? The paper concludes that regional network management strategies were effective in securing 'process' outcomes but that 'content' outcomes, in the form of genuine discretion over policy, were unattainable without the authorization of central government.

Regional & Federal Studies, 2012

By contrast to the far-reaching devolution settlements elsewhere in the UK, political agreement o... more By contrast to the far-reaching devolution settlements elsewhere in the UK, political agreement on the governance of England outside London remains unsettled. There is cross party consensus on the need to 'decentre down' authority to regions and localities, but limited agreement on how this should be achieved. This paper explores the welter of initiatives adopted by the recent Labour Government that were ostensibly designed to make the meso level of governance more coherent, accountable and responsive to meeting territorial priorities. Second, it explores the current Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition's programme of reforms that involves the elimination of Labour's regional institutional architecture and is intended to restore powers to local government and communities and promote local authority cooperation around sub-regions. Labour's reforms were ineffective in achieving any substantial transfer of authority away from Whitehall and, given the Coalition's plans to cut public expenditure, the likelihood of any significant recalibration in central-local relations also appears improbable.

Regional & Federal Studies, 2004

The consequence of recent devolution is that territories in the UK are now governed in different ... more The consequence of recent devolution is that territories in the UK are now governed in different ways. Elected government has yet to be extended to the English regions but they, too, have experienced institutional change in the form of administrative decentralization. Regional governance should provide the opportunity for increased co-ordination of regional strategies but it is frustrated by lack of policy co-ordination within central government. Drawing upon recent interviews with Whitehall civil servants the article examines how government is responding to this challenge. It suggests that responses among central government departments to ‘regional working’ are far more diverse than had previously been realized and that there are considerable obstacles to more ‘joined up’ approaches to policies with a regional dimension. We conclude that while the government has made some progress in responding to the need to build a territorial dimension into its activities, the prospect of regional government will give rise to pressures for new government machinery to manage intergovernmental relations.

Public Policy and Administration, 2011

The UK has traditionally been viewed as a classic example of a unitary state in which central ins... more The UK has traditionally been viewed as a classic example of a unitary state in which central institutions dominate decision making. The recent Labour Government sought to counter this convention through devolution to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London and administrative decentralization to the English regions. This article examines New Labour’s efforts to promote sub-national policy discretion and fiscal autonomy via the Regional Funding Allocations (RFA) process. Findings are subsequently drawn upon to offer insights into the difficulties the Coalition Government is likely to face in its endeavor to decentralize functions and budgets to local authorities and communities. The paper addresses two central questions (i) Can New Labour’s attempt to promote decentralized and flexible budgets in England be viewed asevidence of a transition to a more fluid, multi-level form of governance? (ii)What lessons can be harnessed from the RFA experience in taking forward the Coalition g...