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Unique research at the University of Manchester highlights the shortcomings of public accountability and the high cost, to the public purse, of PPPs and the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) using critical financial analysis. Lead researchers have been invited to engage in dialogue with national audit regulators, give evidence to parliamentary committees and contribute to policy debate through international roundtables. The work has been used to challenge government policy and has significantly influenced the national and international public debate about the costs, affordability and value for money of PPPs. The UK government has now renegotiated existing PFI projects to achieve cost savings, and we have given evidence by invitation to international committees concerned with public accountability and policy development.
Lack of access to water and sanitation services (WSS) is a long-term material deficit in Latin American democracies, worsened since the 1980s by privatization and commodification policies. Research at Newcastle since 2005 has played a major role in supporting policy change to defend and enhance public services by providing evidence-based grounds for policy interventions and informed citizen participation. It has:
A body of research carried out at Sheffield Hallam University has led to significant changes in the accounting requirements for charities in England and Wales. Two sets of impact are presented: (A) simplified audit requirements for smaller charities from 2008/09 through enhancement of an alternative regime of `independent examination' (IE), and (B) Government acceptance in 2012/13 of the case for further simplifications in charity regulation. Over the period 2009-13 at least £15 million of charity resources has been released from mandatory audits for charities to spend on work with beneficiaries. Further benefits to the sector will follow from the latest developments.
This case study refers to the development of strategic public affairs management and associated research on political risk and the regional economy at the University of Chester. It demonstrates both impact on business strategy at international levels and influence on government policy. The Bank of America (MBNA) case is evidenced as an example of effective public affairs research. The business is the largest service based centre in the region, accounting for 3% of Cheshire's GDP (2011). The research has informed both strategy and policy for business and government resulting in the retention of a major international business in the North West.
One strand of Griffiths' academic work has looked at public service reform. This research has influenced a variety of think tank publications examining reform strategies in health, education and social care. In particular, it has shaped debates on citizenship, choice in public services, the `coproduction' of services between citizen and state, and greater professional autonomy. Both the New Labour Government and the Coalition have moved policy in this direction. Griffiths' contributions have been significant enough to be discussed by Cabinet Ministers and senior opposition politicians, special advisers, trade union groups and in local government. His latest edited book in this area is currently the subject of an ongoing series of debates between academics and policymakers, including government ministers, hosted by the Royal Society and Arts and sponsored by the ESRC.
Public-public partnerships (PUPs) are emerging as a viable approach to develop capacity and enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the global water sector. Since 2000, the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) has played a globally leading role in researching the developmental potential of water PUPs in developing countries. The impact includes influencing:
Loughborough University research into the threats and opportunities presented by the growth of shared service centres has directly influenced the strategies and practices of a wide range of organisations confronted by changes in the provision of business support services. It has influenced the educational policy of the world's largest professional body of its kind, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, which has acknowledged the work as "an exemplar" that has had a "profound effect" on the industry. Through a pioneering forum for sharing business knowledge, it has also helped to shape the working methods of global companies, including Rolls-Royce, national organisations, including the Post Office, and numerous SMEs and new firms.
Aberdeen public sector accounting research into adopting accruals accounting, the application of international accounting principles and standards, the treatment of privately financed public assets and the basis of Whole of Government Accounts was used extensively by the principal researcher in advisory work for UK and devolved governments, international agencies, professional bodies and regulators. It contributed directly to changes in the way governments budget, manage and report the performance of resource use, to increased stakeholder awareness of public accounting issues nationally and internationally, and to improved public understanding of these complex issues. It mainstreamed accounting research into the public policy process.
Research conducted in 2006-13 on the role of third sector organisations (TSOs) in delivering public services in Scotland has shaped public policy, improved the management/impact of TSOs in delivering public services, and influenced public opinion on the role of TSOs. This has been achieved through research for the Scottish Government and the ESRC, input into the Christie Commission on public services reform, and by affecting the management of TSOs in Scotland through training events and through Osborne's role as Vice-Chair of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). It has also had an international impact, including in Denmark and Australia.
Professor Paul Grout has had a significant impact on national policy on the delivery of public services by the private sector in the last five years. His research undertaken at the University of Bristol on private provision by regulated utility companies and public private partnerships, using both economic theory and empirical studies, paved the way for his central involvement in, and directly informed, key regulatory decisions. These decisions impact materially on almost every individual and organisation in the UK. His research also directly led to his appointment in 2012 to the Board of Ofgem (the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority), the UK energy regulator.