Publications

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Dialling Up Democracy in the 21st Century: Pathways for Renewal

“If democracy is to be renewed rather than merely defended, we must expand the spaces where citizens can act, deliberate, and shape the public realm. Devolution only works if citizens have real oversight, transparency, and redress. So, what can we do? The answer is not to abandon democracy but to dial it up – to evolve it for a new century.”

Mark Swift

This policy working paper explores how democratic innovation can help renew trust, participation, and legitimacy in the UK’s democratic system. Building on earlier LPIP work on social value and community-centred innovation, it examines the social, institutional, and structural pressures currently facing democracy, particularly in the context of devolution and regional governance. Drawing on UK and international examples, the paper sets out five practical pathways for ‘dialling up democracy’ – from participatory budgeting and digital democracy to citizens’ assemblies, institutional openness, and new models of representation – arguing that democratic renewal is essential to inclusive growth, social cohesion, and regional innovation.

March 2026

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Skills Matter in Place-Based Green Industrial Policy: Lessons From the Closure of MG Rover, 2000-2005

“While many found new work in nearby manufacturing sectors, others were left behind by the transition. At Longbridge, many workers found themselves in lower‑paid and insecure jobs because of a lack of clear pipelines into new manufacturing work.”

Dr Ed Atkins

Ed Atkins examines how the experiences of workers following the closure of MG Rover in Longbridge, Birmingham, offer lessons for green industrial policy today. He demonstrates how proactive, place-based, and skills-centred interventions helped mitigate the regional economic impacts of closure, while also highlighting unequal economic outcomes for workers. Ultimately, he argues that future place-based green industrial policy must seek to both diversify regional economies and ensure robust, long-term skills pipelines to ensure workers aren’t left behind as high-emissions industries decline and others emerge.

March 2026

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Developing Place-Based Green Industrial Policy in the UK

“Communities cannot live and flourish on promises of a ‘greener future’ alone; they require tangible outcomes through investment, job security, and new infrastructure. This could allow a cohesive and more believable positioning of net zero as an opportunity, rather than a threat.”

Dr Ed Atkins

In this report, Ed Atkins argues that green industrial policy in the UK must be rooted in place. Through the review of cases of Vestas in the Isle of Wight, BiFab in Scotland, and Britishvolt in north-east England, he illuminates how gaps between political ambition and political economy have led to missed opportunities and industrial precarity. He ultimately calls for longer-term, systemic and place-based approaches that work to secure domestic supply chains, create secure jobs for many, and rebuild trust in net-zero policy.

February 2026

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What Are Place-Based Business Cases?

‘A place-based business case is not just a bid, it’s a decision-making tool. Done well, it can clarify priorities, improve transparency, build local capability, and help central government allocate resources fairly.’
Professor Rebecca Riley

This report explains what a place-based business case is and how such cases can support more effective, strategic, and accountable investment decisions across local and national government. Drawing on insights from the Green Book review and City-REDI research, this document outlines three potential purposes for place-based business cases: funding gateways, strategic investment frameworks, and governance tools. It recommends a hybrid model that enhances decision-making, strengthens collaboration, and supports place-wide outcomes.

February 2026

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Examining the Evidence on Place-Based Research Partnerships: Towards a Set of Principles for Successful Partnerships

“Place‑based research partnerships hold huge promise for creating locally relevant solutions. But success depends on more than goodwill; it requires infrastructure, skills, participatory approaches, and sustained attention to values.”

Elizabeth Goodyear and Dr Vicky Ward.

This evidence review brings together academic and practice‑based literature to understand what makes place‑based research partnerships work effectively. It identifies the outcomes these partnerships can deliver, the infrastructure and systems that support success, the skills and expertise required, and the behaviours and values that underpin strong collaboration. The review also highlights major gaps in existing evidence, particularly around early‑stage setup, evaluation, and translating principles into practice.

February 2026

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Regional Pathways to Net Zero: Energy and Emissions Intensities in the UK From 2015-2023

“Pathways to net zero must reflect local economic structures, energy systems and institutional capacities. However, regional differentiation also presents an opportunity to learn from the outliers and study more closely what is driving regional changes in progress towards decarbonisation.” Dr Matt Lyons and Dr Stephen Brand.

This report, by Dr Matt Lyons and Dr Stephen Brand, examines how UK regions’ GVA is becoming decoupled from energy inputs and emissions. Using data on economic activity (GVA), energy inputs, and emissions generated between 2015 and 2023. Nationally, GVA increased by 13 per cent over this period, with regional growth ranging between 7 and 16 per cent. At the same time, the energy required to produce £1 million of GVA fell by 18 per cent, and greenhouse gas emissions per £1 million of GVA fell by 33 per cent, demonstrating that the economy is generating value more sustainably. Employment trends suggest that some of these improvements are associated with industrial restructuring, with low-emissions sectors expanding faster than high-emissions activities. However, further research is needed to disentangle the relative contributions of energy efficiency, technological improvements, and structural change.

January 2026

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The Future of Local Democracy – Devolution and the Need to Empower Town and Parish Councils

“Town and parish councils are essential place-based, locally-driven institutions that can reflect and voice diverse community cultures that are crucial for supporting local action.” – The authors.

Dr Amy Burnett (LPIP Place Fellow), Dr Jason Leman (Citizen Network) and Dr Daniel Ozarow (Middlesex University) examine how town and parish councils could play a central role in making devolution work for communities. This discussion paper was developed following the National Association of Local Councils’ Power Shift Conference and responds to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. In particular, they reflect on the implications of a neighbourhood governance pathway on the configuration of democracy under the emerging devolution landscape on town and parish councils.

December 2025

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Community Empowerment and Living Heritage in 2026: Community-Owned Culture and Heritage in Local Growth Plans

“The Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention and the Community Empowerment Bill create an unprecedented opportunity to place community-owned culture and heritage at the heart of England’s growth and governance model.” Liam Smyth.

This briefing paper was written at the advent of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill coming into action in the UK. The paper provides an initial provocation as to whether 2026 could provide the strongest mandate yet for valuing community culture and heritage as a necessary precondition for local growth agendas in England.

The paper proposes that these seemingly unrelated policy frameworks have the power to shift governance and decision-making powers to give communities and individuals greater control over local cultural matters. This could present a turning point for a richer, more pluralist understanding of hyperlocal culture and heritage in England.

Used together—and safeguarded against top-down, purely economic interpretations—the two policy frameworks are mutually reinforcing: the Convention supplies the purpose and standards; the Bill supplies the levers to embed living heritage in local growth, planning, property, and participation.

November 2025

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Business Cases and Place-Based Funding

“Sub-national institutions face significant challenges in developing robust business cases due to limited resources, training challenges and over-reliance on consultants. This has led to a cycle of dependency and weakened institutional expertise.” Alice Pugh.

This report critically examines the application of the Better Business Case Green Book model by practitioners when seeking to secure past place-based economic development funding. The business case framework is used to appraise and manage the development of an intervention, as set out in the HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance.

The report systematically reviews and analyses evidence within 134 business cases developed by sub-national institutions submitted to 3 place-based economic development funds. Drawing on HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance, the report evaluates the quality of business case construction and appraisal, particularly in relation to the development of specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-sensitive (SMART) objectives, place-based value-for-money assessments, and systemic biases in funding methodologies.

November 2025

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Valuing What Matters: Reclaiming Social Value for System Change

“Reclaiming social value as stewardship means treating public spending not as a compliance exercise but as an investment in trust, collaboration, and shared missions.” Mark Swift.

This policy brief argues that social value must be reclaimed as a driver of system change rather than reduced to compliance exercises. It outlines a stewardship approach across three dimensions – procurement, governance, and community voice – demonstrating how public spending can serve as anchor investment, align decision-making around a shared purpose, and empower citizens as equal partners in shaping priorities. By reframing social value as system stewardship, the brief outlines how institutions can reduce inequalities and renew trust with communities.

November 2025

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Collaborative Innovation in Employment Policy: A Liverpool City Region Case Study

“The Liverpool City Region provides a rich case through which to examine the dynamics of place-based employment policy, particularly the role of local networks and trust-based relationships.” Sue Jarvis.

This policy briefing explores how Liverpool City Region has sustained employment policy innovation across decades of national change. Drawing on programmes such as the City Strategy Pathfinder, Youth Employment Gateway, and Households into Work, it shows how trust-based relationships, boundary-spanning roles, and collaborative governance have acted as an ‘invisible thread’ maintaining local capacity for innovation, learning, and co-production despite shifting national frameworks.

October 2025

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A Long-Term Strategy for Housing: Lessons Learned on the Role of Institutions and Governance

The UK Government has announced a £39 billion funding package and five-stage plan for social and affordable housing in England, with a comprehensive 10-year strategy due in 2025. This report reflects on the housing contexts of Scotland and England, drawing comparative lessons to strengthen institutional design, governance, and long-term planning for England’s housing policy.

October 2025

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The Seven Essentials of Place-Based Growth

The Seven Essentials of Place-Based Growth: What Can the Government Learn From City-Region Mayors and Devolved Nations?

A new briefing from the LPIP Hub and the Heseltine Institute sets out seven essential principles for effective place-based growth, drawing on the lived experience and emerging evidence from city-region mayors, devolved nations, the UKRI-funded Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub and the four funded partnerships: Rural Wales, EPIC Northern Ireland, Forth2O (Scotland) and YPIP (Yorkshire).

September 2025

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Exploring the Concept of Governance Capacity

“There is a pressing need for central government to engage more meaningfully with regional voices”, Dr Charlotte Hoole.

This short report summarises the findings from a Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub workshop carried out to explore the concept of governance capacity as a critical enabler of effective regional development and inclusive growth.

Hosted by the LPIP Hub and led by Dr Charlotte Hoole, the session brought together stakeholders from across the UK’s four LPIPs to examine how governance capacity is defined, measured, and distributed.

September 2025

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Balancing the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Net Zero: An Environmentally Extended Input-Output Approach

“For the UK to achieve the lowest boundary estimates of net zero CO₂ emissions by a focus on high emissions sectors (Agriculture, Energy and Transport), demand would need to reduce by 50%.” Dr Matt Lyons.

A new study published in Environmental Research Communications reveals four lessons for regional policymakers. Dr Matt Lyons examines the balance between environmental and economic impacts of net zero when pursued by a demand management approach.

In the article, an environmentally extended input-output model for the UK is used (UKEIM). A series of scenarios are developed reducing demand for high-emissions sectors within the UK economy and comparing the impacts on output, employment, CO2 and Greenhouse Gas emissions.

May 2025

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Data and Transparency for Combined Authorities: Briefing Paper

“Greater devolution of data accessibility and sharing would help deliver better outcomes for residents through better evidence for action, monitoring, and evaluation.”

This briefing paper discusses the challenges and recommendations for improving data sharing and transparency among Combined Authorities (CAs) in England. It highlights seven key devolution asks to enhance collaboration between Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the government, establish transparent governance and accountability for data, standardise data collection and management practices, identify critical datasets, invest in local capacity, reduce the cost of licensing data products, and facilitate research collaboration. The paper emphasises the importance of data in driving evidence-based decision-making and achieving local policy objectives.

April 2025

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Living and Working More Sustainably in a Greener Economy

“The opportunity cost of delay both in terms of nature recovery and decarbonisation is high and not routinely considered in policy agendas.”

This evidence review, by Dr Matt Lyons, City-REDI, University of Birmingham, considers the academic literature, grey literature and policy documents to identify the burning questions and key challenges for sub-national actors in achieving a more sustainable, greener economy.

April 2025

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Advancing People-Centred, Place-Based Approaches

As part of the Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub work, we are collaborating with partners working on areas covered by the LPIP themes. For the Felt Experiences theme, we are collaborating with the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Place Programme, based at the University of Glasgow. The programme, led by Professor Rebecca Madgin, a member of the LPIP Hub Board, has developed a suite of reports looking at this thematic area.

This report, Advancing People-Centred, Place-Based Approaches, sets out a direction of travel for people-centred, place-based policies, practices and research – it provides insights into what we know and what we have achieved, but also shows where we need to get to.

November 2024

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Skills Evidence Review

“The most effective approach to enhance the influence of skills interventions on places is to integrate them as part of a comprehensive ‘local stimulus package’, which also includes housing, transport, job quality, economic development, business improvement, and innovation support.”

This evidence review summarises skills policy across the UK, focusing on devolution, local skills ecosystems, and the role of higher and further education in supporting skills development. It draws key learnings from several place-based interventions related to skills, highlighting effective strategies for addressing local and regional skills challenges, such as skills shortages and skills underutilisation. Key findings illuminate the importance of aligning skills development with local economic requirements, the impact of fragmented governance and inconsistent devolution across the UK on local policy innovation, and the need for targeted interventions to address spatial disparities.

The government can advance devolution with clearly defined powers for local skills policy, while policymakers, local authorities, educational institutions, and businesses work together to build capacity for integrated planning and develop place-specific strategies. Strengthening collaboration among these stakeholders is important for addressing local skills challenges and driving sustainable growth.

November 2024

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Inclusive and Sustainable Local Economic Performance Evidence Review

“The lack of clear structure, funding and resources is leading to poor capacity and capability in place and, as a result, impacting the ability of place-based institutions to create transformational change.”

This evidence review summarises key policies and research related to inclusive and sustainable local economic performance, focusing on strengthening economic development partnerships within place. It examines inclusive and sustainable local economic performance, national and local policies, the varying capabilities and capacities in place, and lessons learnt from local partnerships to improve inclusive and sustainable economic performance, both UK-based and international. The review aims to inform the development of inclusive and sustainable local economic partnerships through the identification of key challenges and the demonstration of good practice.

Policy makers and researchers should prioritise improving the evidence base, structure, funding, powers and resources of devolved national and sub-national governments to ensure that they have the capacity and capability to create transformational change.

October 2024

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Innovation Evidence Review

“Innovation policies are increasingly ‘shifting away from top-down and centralised approaches towards policies that favour cooperative, multi-actor and often more ‘place-based’ approaches”.

This evidence review synthesises key research and policy questions related to place-based innovation, focusing on strengthening local innovation ecosystems across the UK. It examines national and local innovation policies, the varying capacities of different places for innovation, lessons from existing interventions, and international examples. The review aims to inform the design of effective place-based innovation strategies by identifying key challenges and opportunities.

Policymakers and researchers should prioritise developing robust frameworks for measuring the impact of place-based innovation policies, conducting comprehensive case studies across diverse regions, and fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations to address local innovation challenges holistically.

October 2024

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Cultural Recovery Evidence Review

“The UK’s centralised economy disproportionately impacts those areas with weaker cultural infrastructure. Increased competition over fewer resources, in relation to local authority expenditure for non-statutory services, coupled with changes in audience behaviour is providing significant risk to sustainable cultural infrastructure, particularly in places where it is already weak.”

This report by James Davies, City-REDI, University of Birmingham, brings together academic and policy literature relevant to the theme of cultural recovery, drawing on interdisciplinary research and evidence for cultural policy and offering international case studies. It aims to give policymakers and local partnerships a current ‘state-of-play’, exploring key debates and insights to inform the design of effective interventions for cultural development and infrastructure.

June 2024

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