Welcome to the latest edition of the INLOGOV and DPAP Newsletter – your gateway to a world of innovation, collaboration, and thought-provoking insights!
We start the first alumni e-magazine of the new year with a look at our research highlights. Dive into the wealth of knowledge that INLOGOV and DPAP colleagues and collaborators have produced in recent years. Explore topics ranging from smart and sustainable policy approaches to the intricacies of governance, institutional design, and leadership. Delve into the latest thinking on co-production, democratic innovation, and inclusion strategies that shape the future of public administration.
May I e-introduce you to Hannah Absalom, a rising star in our midst? As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, she explores the emotional dynamics of 'home' in English social housing. Join us in celebrating her recent accolade – the UK ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Award.
You are cordially invited to join our regular “Brown Bag Lunch” Sessions. Our informal online gatherings, designed for local government enthusiasts, continue this academic year - contact Koen Bartels to hop on the mailing list for these events
Our ear candy recommendation this month is a series of engaging podcasts featuring Professor Christopher Pietroni discussing collective leadership, Professor Nic Cheeseman exploring the rise of women in parliament, and insights into elections in Argentina and the US.
Save the date for our upcoming CPD seminar - in June we are looking forward to the launch of INLOGOV Associate Elke Loffler and Honorary Professor Tony Bovaird’s fully updated fourth edition of Public Management and Governance.
Stay updated with our blog, featuring insightful commentaries on contemporary issues. We were delighted to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week this month by sharing dissertation summaries from our recent graduates exploring topics like data analytics, agile local authorities, and systems leadership.
I’d be delighted to hear your feedback on this e-mag and your ideas for future editions – please feel free to contact me at j.lowther@bham.ac.uk.
- Jason Lowther, Head of Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP)
Research highlights
In the first e-mag of the new year, we would like to draw your attention to recent publications by
INLOGOV and DPAP staff, discussing timely and practice-relevant topics. Follow the links below to learn more:
If you are interested in hearing more about our research, or exploring future collaboration options, please do get in touch.
Staff spotlight
Meet Hannah Absalom who is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at INLOGOV. Hannah recently joined the department, and is a recipient of the prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship Award of the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Previously, she was doctoral researcher in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on the application of behavioural insights in English social housing. She is a keen advocate for understanding the ‘home’ as an emotional construct, and examines how institutional barriers may inhibit such an approach from emerging in social housing practice. She introduces her current research on ‘Home Encounters’, and her future research plans on the use of environmental sensors in the homes of general needs tenants.
INLOGOV Brown Bag Sessions
Following their successful introduction last year, we would like to invite you to join our Brown Bag sessions this academic year. Brown Bag sessions are informal sessions, held online once per month, for those working in and around local government. Their aim is to provide an opportunity to come together to take stock of current events and identify possible avenues for action and collaboration.
Our next session is on Thursday 14 March 2024, 12-1pm via Zoom.
To join our mailing list for these events, please email Koen Bartels (k.p.r.bartels@bham.ac.uk).
Podcast recommendations
New episodes have been released on all our regular podcast series at the School of Government. In the latest episode of the Leadership Exchanged podcast, Prof. Christopher Pietroni talks to Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save, about ‘Why we need to move away from hierarchies towards collective leadership’. On the People, Power, Politics podcast, Prof. Nic Cheeseman discusses ‘Why there are more women in parliament than ever before and why does it matter’ with Aili Mari Tripp, a world leading researcher of women’s movements. Finally, the Political Worldview podcast features two new episodes on past and upcoming elections in Argentina and the US.
Winter Degree Congregations ’23 recording
The College of Social Sciences Winter Degree Congregations took place on 7 December 2023. Follow the YouTube link to access a recording of the day, celebrating the newest cohort of INLOGOV and DPAP graduates who have now become part of our alumni community.
INLOGOV CPD seminar: Public Management and Governance
We start the summer with another CPD seminar, taking place on Thursday 20 June 2024 (on campus and online). Join us to celebrate the fourth edition of the leading textbook in international Public Management and Governance. The book combines rigorous insight from pre-eminent scholars around the world with a clear structure and supportive, thoughtful, and intuitive pedagogy. This revised and updated fourth edition responds to the significant changes in the external environment, as well as the field itself.
The seminar is open to all, but registration is required.
INLOGOV blog highlights
We would like to draw your attention to the INLOGOV blog which features regular commentaries on current issues. If you missed the dissertation summaries featured in previous Alumni E-Magazine ‘Meet Your Peers’, you can now revisit them on the blog. Topics include place-wide data analytics, ‘good’ public sector leadership, ‘agile’ in local authorities, coproduction, systems leadership, and many more.