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As a direct result of methodological research led by Professor Ray Pawson at Leeds, `realist evaluation' has provided a new lens through which to assess and develop social programmes. It has critically changed the apparatus of evidenced-based policy and the way in which policy research is commissioned and utilised. Through advisory work, training package provision, partnership-research and professional exchange, this `realist' perspective has formed a new standard in social programme evaluation, and is used by commissioners in the UK and internationally to frame their interventions across policy domains, including education, environment, criminal justice, and health and social care.
Research in the Centre for Competition and Regulatory Policy (CCRP) at City University London has influenced extensively UK competition policy and continues to do so. The research has influenced directly the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in the development of the new Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (ERR Act). A process of engagement including two Round Tables chaired by Professor John Cubbin and a corresponding documentary submission, shaped the way in which the ERR Act gives enhanced powers to a unified competition authority, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The research impacted on the eventual form of this new institution, especially in its independence in merger and market inquiries between Phase 1 (Could there be a problem?) and Phase 2 (What do we do about it?), which were previously carried out by the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission respectively. The Centre's input into the Act has also been central in influencing how the CMA will retain and enhance the role of members of the panel of independent "external" experts.
Competition authorities (CAs) often regulate mergers through the imposition of remedies. The research conducted by Lyons and Davies shows that the conventional emphasis on structural remedies does not adequately safeguard consumers' interests. Their recommendations have been adopted by CAs and are now enshrined in revised guidelines on merger remedies used by the European Commission and the UK Competition Commission. Their research was instrumental in changing guidelines published in 2008 on licensing agreements used in mergers involving IP Rights, and drawing attention to the necessary conditions for effective behavioural remedies. This has, for example, enabled consumer access to pharmaceuticals at lower prices.
The methodological and applied work on micro-econometric demand analysis outlined here has been repeatedly used by the UK Competition Commission (since 2002) and the Co-operation & Competition Panel (now Monitor) of the UK Department of Health (since 2009) in their respective competition analyses, and by the Hong Kong Consumer Council in its Public Estate Supermarket Study (since 2011). It contributed to the European Commission White Paper on the quantification of antitrust damages (2010), underpinning some of the econometric methodology proposed there to assess cartel damages in EU Courts. Beckert's work in the area of micro-econometric demand analysis connects micro-economic demand theory with various econometric methodologies to assess demand-side substitution in the presence of taste heterogeneity. His research is disseminated through articles in peer-reviewed academic journals, policy articles, and through consultation by antitrust authorities, think tanks and economic consultancies.
Research undertaken at the University of East Anglia (UEA) has identified whether consumers are likely to switch supplier, whether they are likely to get a good deal, and how companies are likely to respond to specific regulatory intervention. Such research findings challenge regulators to make better decisions. An appropriate regulatory framework leads to better decisions by consumers, helping markets to work better, and resulting in lower prices and bills. This is particularly critical in the energy and water sector, which are of crucial importance to each of the 25 million households in the UK, and where implementation of some of these research findings could lead to reductions of 6% in household energy bills (which translates to a total saving of over £2.1 billion a year).
Chang's research has covered a wide range of public policy, including industrial policy, trade policy, privatisation, and agricultural policy, as well as theories of state intervention. By successfully challenging the then prevailing orthodoxy on economic development, his research has had significant influence on the actions of many national governments, multilateral institutions (e.g., the UN, the World Bank) and NGOs (e.g., Oxfam). Chang's research has also had substantial impact on public debate concerning economic policies, especially but not exclusively those regarding development issues. He has had two best-selling mass-market books (together sold 1.15 million copies as of December 2012) and gained worldwide media exposure for his views.