Welcome to the latest edition of our alumni e-magazine. Here, we present a curated selection of insightful content designed to keep you informed and engaged with the latest developments in public governance and policy.
In this issue we focus on place and place-making.
In the "Staff Spotlight”, I was asked to share some reflections on my public service career to date and also discuss our updated "21st Century Public Servant" research.
Our "Meet Your Peers" section showcases exemplary dissertation research from our alumni, covering diverse topics such as place-based narratives by Liam Hornsby, school relocation frameworks by Sarah Hammond, and transformative community development strategies by Jonathan Hayes.
INLOGOV News brings you the latest achievements and events, including Dr Jon Bloomfield's comprehensive study on the benefits of allotment life in Birmingham and Dr Elke Loeffler’s seminar on the new edition of "Public Management & Governance". We also announce the return of our Brown Bag sessions in September, offering monthly opportunities for alumni and academics to discuss current events and collaborate. Watch this space for our analysis of local government issues for the incoming national government.
Our blog highlights include thought-provoking pieces on place-making, the role of universities in communities, and the potential of public-common partnerships in democratising public services.
Finally, our podcast recommendations feature stimulating discussions from leading academics in DPAP and the broader School of Government. Highlights include Prof. Christopher Pietroni’s conversation with Andy Street on leadership dynamics, an analysis of social media's impact on democracy by CEDAR, and a critical look at the future of the Tories on the Political Worldview podcast.
Stay connected with INLOGOV as we continue to explore and address the pressing issues in local government and public administration. As always, your thoughts and contributions are most valued so please do get in touch.
Jason.
Staff Spotlight: Jason Lowther
I joined INLOGOV five years ago, after a career mainly in local public services. My research looks at the use of ‘evidence’ in local policy making.
I studied ‘Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics’ at the University of Warwick, where I met my wife Sally. Later, I took an MSc in Operational Research at Lancaster, and studied part-time for an MPA at Nottingham and (currently) a PhD in Birmingham. We moved to Kings Norton (Birmingham) in 1992 and have home educated our four kids there, our youngest heading off to York University this summer.
My first job was with the Metropolitan Police, in an internal management consultancy unit. My projects included re-designing officers’ shift patterns to better match operational demand, working with Sergeant Bruce Perry who became famous when he deployed his police helmet to cover a streaker’s private parts in an international Rugby match. Less pleasantly, I tested numerous body bags - since the Thames does unpleasant things to bodies which can lead to loss of important forensic evidence.
After a short stint in the private sector, I joined the Audit Commission. I first worked in the ‘value for money’ team locally, helping councils, health trusts, police and probation teams implement the recommendations of national studies. Later, I joined the national studies team, updating work around GP Prescribing and latterly leading work around community safety issues. A lot of the studies made good use of a mix of theory and data. For example, clinical research was suggesting that investing in preventative treatments could save poor health and health costs, so we combined this knowledge with data on the relative use of the preventative treatments by each GP to highlight those who might benefit from support to adopt new approaches.
My favourite example was H Pylori eradication as a treatment for stomach ulcers. Previous treatment had basically masked the symptoms by reducing acid levels. The bacterium H. pylori was first discovered in the stomachs of patients with ulcers in 1982 by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren of Perth, Western Australia. The conventional thinking was that no bacterium could live in the acid environment of the human stomach. In recognition of their discovery, Marshall and Warren were awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. To demonstrate H. pylori caused gastritis, Marshall drank a beaker of H. pylori culture. He became ill with nausea and vomiting several days later. An endoscopy 10 days later revealed signs of gastritis and the presence of H. pylori. These results suggested H. pylori was the causative agent. Marshall and Warren went on to demonstrate antibiotics are effective in the treatment of many cases of gastritis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicobacter_pylori). The Audit Commission report, A Prescription for Improvement, helped to promote the use of combinations of antibiotics which eliminated the bacteria and prevented future ulcers. We were able to use prescribing data to identify GPs who were using fewer of these antibiotics (and more historic ulcer treatments), and provide advice and support to update their practice.
After an enjoyable decade with the Commission, I moved into a senior role with Birmingham City Council in 2004. As Assistant Director of Strategy, I was responsible for the council’s research and policy development, and a long list of other corporate functions such as communications, performance, strategy, European issues and partnerships. The council had a change of political leadership within weeks of me arriving, with Labour losing control for eight years. The chief executive also changed in 2005, with Stephen Hughes taking on the role for almost a decade, in the subsequent decade the council has had nine different chief executives!
My first half-dozen years at Birmingham involved lots of interesting development work with partners, the city’s community strategy, work on the city-region and links with Europe. The second half-dozen years were dominated by austerity, as the council (like other disadvantaged urban councils) lost huge chunks of funding with devastating effects on the council, its services and the local community and economy.
Birmingham City Council is always a lively place to work. I was privileged to lead public engagement on Council's direction (with over 8,000 responses and a 250k reach on social media), develop and lead the whole council service review programme (saving £113m in 2014-15), lead the transfer of public health from the NHS in 2010-12, and develop the "troubled families" programme locally and with national team which provided integrated support to families facing multiple disadvantages.
It's been fantastic moving to INLOGOV, and supporting the amazing work the team here does both in terms of research and in developing the next generation of local public managers in the UK and internationally. Our research in areas such as participatory governance, climate change and sustainability, and improving public services, has real impact on understanding, policy and practice. I was particularly excited as we launched our updated “21st Century Public Servant” research at this year’s LGA Conference in October. I was delighted to see substantial interest in this research – besides a full-house presentation on key takeaway messages from the project, the ‘coaching cards’ also proved very popular! Every day, I’m grateful for the chance to work with such amazing scholars, politicians, public servants, learners and colleagues – and, of course, alumni!
Meet Your Peers
Read about outstanding dissertation research conducted by our alumni:
INLOGOV News: Allotment Study
Dr. Jon Bloomfield, Honorary Research Fellow at INLOGOV and DPAP recently published the final report of the largest, grass-roots study of allotment life in the UK. Based on information collected directly from almost 900 plot-holders and fifty sites in Birmingham it gives a clear picture of the profile and activity of allotment tenants and offers powerful evidence of the benefits of allotments for citizens; for the City Council as the land-owner; and for health trusts, GP services, and all organisations with an interest in the social and economic well-being of Birmingham’s people.
“It’s not an ‘old men in sheds’ type of allotment” Kate, the site secretary, tells me when I visit West Heath allotment, a site with fifty plots on the southern edge of Birmingham. “The majority of our tenants are employed or run their own businesses, while a third are retired. We are a very diverse site with people of all ages from different backgrounds. We have people from Zimbabwe, Bosnia, Jamaica and around the UK, all brought together through their love of growing. People on our site love experimenting with new ways of growing.”
Dave, a plot holder for many years, grows enough vegetables on his small plot to feed his kids and grandkids for the year when they come around for Sunday lunch. Karl, the site construction expert uses pallets and water pipes to make fantastic poly-tunnels. Petrine uses her plot to grow callaloo, okra, sweet potatoes and yams alongside the usual potatoes, peas, beans. The committee chair Kerry says “the site isn’t just about growing; it is about community and improving people’s well-being, physically, mentally, and socially. We would be lost without it.”
Their story reflects the changing picture of life across Birmingham’s 113 allotment sites. This study is based on information collected directly from almost 900 plot-holders and fifty site secretaries. It is the largest, grass-roots study of allotment life in the UK. It gives a clear picture of the changing profile and activity of allotment tenants and offers the evidence that proves the value and benefits of allotments for citizens; for the City Council as the land-owner; and for health trusts, GP services, and all organisations with an interest in the social and economic well-being of Birmingham citizens.
We have four key findings:
- Firstly, allotments are increasingly reflecting the city. Half of all plot-holders are women. There is a much greater engagement of non-pensioner age groups and ethnic minorities. They are increasingly sites of social cohesion, where people from all different backgrounds and ages meet up.
- Secondly, allotment plot-holders produce a significant volume of fresh potatoes, vegetables and fruit each year. Our survey shows that on average at least 100 kg of fresh food is harvested annually on each plot across the allotment estate.
- Thirdly, our study highlights the diverse benefits which plot-holders gain from the cultivation of their allotment and in particular the physical and mental health benefits. Relaxation and peace of mind tops the poll with a third of all plot-holders saying it’s the main benefit. Public health officials, community nurses and GPs should recognise this in their work and encourage allotment take-up, while councils should give a higher profile to allotments in their environmental and ‘green spaces’ policies.
- Fourthly, allotments have potential to develop as local community hubs. Council cutbacks create real pressures on the allotment community. A shift in the cultural outlook of the allotment movement with an outward-looking drive to attract funds from other sources and present allotments as an integral element of their local community is the most promising way forward.
- This research was organised in collaboration with the Birmingham District Allotment Confederation (BDAC), which facilitated collecting information directly from sites and individual plot-holders. The full report can be found on the BDAC web-site. A Neglected Asset: Allotments in Birmingham - Birmingham & District Allotment Cooperative (bdacallotments.co.uk)
For more information please contact the authors. Dr. Jon Bloomfield, Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Public Administration and Policy, University of Birmingham j.bloomfield@bham.ac.uk or David Draycott, Secretary of the Moor Green Allotments and Leisure Gardens. madahal.secretary@gmail.com
You can download the full report here.
INLOGOV News: Book Launch
INLOGOV and DPAP recently hosted a book launch event with INLOGOV Associate Dr Elke Loeffler, introducing the new fourth edition of Public Management & Governance. If you work in or study public administration, the new fourth edition of Public Management & Governance will give you a clear picture of the current state of play and help you to contribute to the rapidly changing world of public services.
The book, edited by Prof. Tony Bovaird and Dr. Elke Loeffler, sets the evolving role of public service organisations in an international perspective. The Public Management section explores a wide range of managerial functions such as strategic management, performance management, HR and contracting, while the Public Governance section focusses on topical governance issues such as innovation, partnership working, complex adaptive networks, co-production and resilience. In the provocative final section the editors discuss potential future trends in public management and governance, extrapolating from the earlier chapters.
Discussions highlighted some potential new issues for the next, 5th edition of the textbook, including:
- Using AI and other digital technologies to increase public value
- Navigating between political, professional and organisational priorities
- Reconciling long-term democratic aims with political short-termism
- Systems integration
- Prevention vs. treatment
You can access the recording of Elke’s introductory talk on the book. Use the Passcode: H+L42tkT
As well as using the book, please feel free to let the editors know your ideas for the (future) 5th edition by contacting t.bovaird@bham.ac.uk or e.loeffler@bham.ac.uk
INLOGOV News: Brown Bag Sessions
We welcome all alumni to join our Brown Bag sessions which restarted in September in accordance with the academic calendar. 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.
The next Brown Bag is scheduled for 5th December. To join this session, and/or to be added to our mailing list for future dates, please email Koen Bartels (k.p.r.bartels@bham.ac.uk).
INLOGOV Blog Highlights
We would like to draw your attention to the INLOGOV blog which features regular commentaries on current issues with a relevance to local government. Some recent contributions on topics related to this edition’s theme, Place and place-making, include pieces by
Podcast Recommendations
See below our recommendations on the latest episodes of three podcasts featuring academics from across INLOGOV, DPAP and the broader the School of Government.
Prof. Christopher Pietroni of the Birmingham leadership Institute talks to Andy Street, former Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority, in one of the recent episodes of the Leadership Exchanged podcast.
Colleagues at The Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) recently released a People, Power, Politics podcast episode exploring how social media’s business model is changing democracy (and not for the better).
In the Political Worldview podcast, colleagues at the Political Science Department discuss the impending ‘end of the road’ for the Tories – before the general election.
Read more about whats going on across the University