All Outputs (70)

Levelling up - getting beyond the rhetoric (2021)
Journal Article

This article examines the UK government's so-called 'levelling up' policy and outlines two scenarios for the future of this policy. The analysis suggests that levelling up can be characterised as a slogan in search of a policy. Despite announcing t... Read More about Levelling up - getting beyond the rhetoric.

Place, power and leadership: Insights from mayoral governance and leadership innovation in Bristol, UK (2021)
Journal Article

This article aims to enhance understanding of the role of place in urban leadership by examining the way leadership changed significantly following the introduction of mayoral governance into a UK city. In 2012, 10 cities in England held referendums... Read More about Place, power and leadership: Insights from mayoral governance and leadership innovation in Bristol, UK.

From smart cities to wise cities (2021)
Journal Article

Global spending on so-called 'smart cities' initiatives, already soaring upwards, was given a rocket boost by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article examines this trend and poses the question: Are smart cities delivering what we want? The meaning of s... Read More about From smart cities to wise cities.

COVID-19 opens a new political window (2020)
Journal Article

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense suffering and misery. However, at the same time, it has created new possibilities for rethinking the kind of society that we want to create in the future. This article adopts an international perspective and... Read More about COVID-19 opens a new political window.

The Bristol One City Approach to city governance: New Civic Leadership in action (2020)
Journal Article

The One City Approach to city governance in Bristol, UK is designed to unify civic purpose in the city: it is ambitious, inclusive and innovative. In 2016 the new, directly elected Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, decided to work with a wide range of c... Read More about The Bristol One City Approach to city governance: New Civic Leadership in action.

What can local government learn from the coronavirus? (2020)
Journal Article

This short Opinion article for Local Government Chronicle praises the response of UK local government to the covid-19 pandemic. It goes on to discuss three questions that are important for future public policy: 1) Was our country ready for this onsl... Read More about What can local government learn from the coronavirus?.

Leading the healthy city: Taking advantage of the power of place (2020)
Journal Article

Creating healthy cities requires the exercise of bold city and community leadership. However, our understanding of the role of local leadership, from inside and outside the state, in bringing about processes that can co-create healthy, just and susta... Read More about Leading the healthy city: Taking advantage of the power of place.

The international leadership agenda for councils (2019)
Journal Article

Written at the invitation of the editor of Local Government Chronicle (LGC), this short article outlines three overlapping reasons why city and regional leaders are becoming increasingly active in international, place-to-place networking learning and... Read More about The international leadership agenda for councils.

Debate: Researching directly elected mayors—key questions to address (2019)
Journal Article

The directly elected mayor model of governance is long established in many countries – for example, the USA and Japan. However, in some countries the model is fairly new. For example, in the UK there were no directly elected mayors until 2000 – tha... Read More about Debate: Researching directly elected mayors—key questions to address.

Rallying the power of place (2019)
Journal Article

This article, aimed at local governance policy-makers, outlines a new way of conceptualising local leadership, described as New Civic Leadership (NCL). NCL, which involves strong, place-based leadership acting to co-create new solutions to public pol... Read More about Rallying the power of place.

The New Civic Leadership: Place and the co-creation of public innovation (2019)
Journal Article

© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This paper discusses the role of place-based leadership in stimulating the co-creation of inclusive public services and outcomes. A conceptual framework, designed to illuminate t... Read More about The New Civic Leadership: Place and the co-creation of public innovation.

How can the US experience advance the civic university? (2019)
Journal Article

This short article responds to the recent report of the UK Civic University Commission, 'Truly civic: Strengthening the connection between universities and their places'. The article suggests that British universities can, as they consider the Commi... Read More about How can the US experience advance the civic university?.

The dynamics of depoliticisation in urban governance: Introducing a directly elected mayor (2019)
Journal Article

Within the context of debates regarding depoliticisation, this article considers how the introduction of a directly elected mayor system of governance impacts on urban politics. Directly elected mayors are now a fundamental feature of many political... Read More about The dynamics of depoliticisation in urban governance: Introducing a directly elected mayor.

Local leadership is the answer to populism (2019)
Journal Article

This short article explains how collaborative approaches to local problem solving are on the rise. These efforts redraw the boundaries between the state and civil society in intriguing new ways. The example of outgoing civic leadership in Bristol i... Read More about Local leadership is the answer to populism.

Inclusive place-based leadership: Lesson-drawing from urban governance innovations in Bristol, UK (2018)
Journal Article

Across the world progressive city leaders are working to limit the damaging impact of decisions made by place-less leaders, meaning powerful interests that are unconcerned about the consequences of their decisions for particular places and communitie... Read More about Inclusive place-based leadership: Lesson-drawing from urban governance innovations in Bristol, UK.

Town-gown engagement can be chaotic but universities should be local civic leaders (2018)
Journal Article

This short article for a professional and practice audience examines the impact of universities on the localities where they are located. Evidence from the author's experience in the USA suggests that British universities could be doing much more to... Read More about Town-gown engagement can be chaotic but universities should be local civic leaders.

OK we didn't win the World Cup but Gareth Southgate offers solutions for local leadership (2018)
Journal Article

This short article for a professional and practice audience draws lessons for local leaders from Gareth Southgate's enormously successful leadership of the English national football team. Sports management is, of course, rather different from place-... Read More about OK we didn't win the World Cup but Gareth Southgate offers solutions for local leadership.

British universities - the sleeping giants of place-based leadership? (2018)
Journal Article

This Alternatives paper explores the changing dynamics of town/gown relationships in modern Britain. It argues that there are major opportunities for improving collaboration between universities and ‘off campus’ actors, opportunities that could bene... Read More about British universities - the sleeping giants of place-based leadership?.

Governing England: Why not widen our horizons? (2018)
Journal Article

This short article provides a critique of the Conservative Government's approach to devolution in England and, by drawing on recent comparative research on sub-national governance in other countries, suggests ways of strengthening the power of place... Read More about Governing England: Why not widen our horizons?.

How US local government resists Trump (2017)
Journal Article

This short article argues that, at a time when national politics is being disfigured by angry populism, learning from progressive US cities can be inspirational. It explains how two counties in California took President Trump to court over his attem... Read More about How US local government resists Trump.