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A major challenge to economic policy and public sector governance is how to provide a sustainable economic basis for less prosperous localities and neighbourhoods. Research findings demonstrated the need for a greater focus upon enterprise and jobs at a sub-regional level and improved co-ordination and integration of governance arrangements in order to tackle this issue. These findings influenced the development of national and local government policy and practice towards the economic development of deprived areas from 2004 onwards. Impacts were evident through shaping a significant re-orientation in policy approaches towards deprived neighbourhoods as well as the development of specific policies and governance practice.
Goddard's research in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) has:
This case study relates to the impact of research by the University of Cumbria's Centre for Regional Economic Development (CRED) on the regional impacts of inward investors on supply chains and the effectiveness of policies designed to grow regional clusters. On the basis of publications, Professor Frank Peck (Director of CRED) was appointed Expert Evaluator for a sequence of EU FP7 "Regions of Knowledge" project proposals (2007-2011), and subsequently invited to join an EU Expert Group examining the role of clusters in Smart Specialisation Strategies in EU Regions. This work has demonstrated that existing cluster initiatives can justifiably be used as a means of implementing smart specialization. As a result, regions are being encouraged to retain cluster strategies as integral parts of EU regional and innovation policies for the 2014 - 2020 programming period.
The North East Economic Model (NEEM) was designed and developed at Durham University Business School (DUBS) from 2003. Customized to the regional economy, the aim of the research was for NEEM to model intra- and extra-regional economic relationships to provide quantitative estimates/projections of the impact of both long-term economic trends and shorter-term economic `shocks'. Its application has had significant impacts on policy practitioners in the region by: (1) facilitating more robust evidence-based policy analysis; (2) giving rise to knowledge transfer to policy-makers regarding the structure and workings of the regional economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for an extended regional policy-modeling capacity. By influencing professional practice, it has had demonstrable impacts on regional economic policy, regional economic restructuring and local planning.
Research by Lawton Smith into analysing firms' behaviour and the relationships between entrepreneurship and innovation and regional growth has impacted on policy-making by regions and governments with international reach though the OECD. An initial Oxfordshire focus of the research resulted in the establishment of the Oxfordshire Economic Observatory (OEO) (joint Oxford University/Oxford Brookes/Birkbeck) which facilitated the application of the results of the research. Since 2008 OEO has been commissioned to undertake policy-focussed research in a variety of national and international contexts. The research has led to Lawton Smith's involvement in influential policy advisory groups in the UK and overseas.
Research undertaken within the Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) since 2009, has been applied within Enfield Borough Council to change its economic renewal strategies from having a training and infrastructure focus, to one which focuses on re-building local supply chains, leading to job creation, and the re-investment of pension funds to fund the delivery of badly needed social housing. This change in policy has been achieved by encouraging major employers, such as utility companies, to think of corporate social responsibility in a more local frame; and the council to re-engineer financial flows from the local authority pension fund.
Researchers within the University of Cumbria Centre for Regional Economic Development (CRED) have published work on themes relevant to local economic policy across the UK. The research has focused in particular on the ways in which local and regional policymakers can influence growth processes in local economies; both directly through public sector procurement, and indirectly by providing advice and support to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). This research has been funded by public sector bodies specifically to inform their strategies, and to provide a basis for local economic policies. The findings have impacted upon the procurement practices of local authorities by drawing attention to the barriers to SME involvement in public contracts. Research on the nuclear supply chain has also influenced the Business Plan of the Cumbria Local Economic Partnership (LEP), and has been used in evidence to the Public Accounts Committee, UK Parliament.
NEEMARC, since 1994, has ensured the collation, preservation and storage of trade union records from the Durham Miners' Association and the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (NACODS), in partnership with the Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers and the University of Sunderland.
This makes the documents available for all researchers, free of charge. Access began with walk- in library usage, and in 2013 some of the records have been digitized and available online.
A wide range of public users, regional, national and international, has drawn upon this archive, enabling the development and reinforcement of family, community and regional identities.
Research by the Regional Studies Research Group at UWS on the role and achievements of regional development agencies (RDA) across Europe led to the concept of a model RDA. The model demonstrates that future performance of RDAs needs to be underpinned by good collaborative working relationships with private sector clients and also targeted interaction with providers of business services and public knowledge institutions such as universities. The insights and recommendations from the group have been adopted into the policies of local and international governments (e.g. the UK, Scotland, Spain, and Mexico), the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission.
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen's Health Economics Research Unit (HERU) have developed a theoretical model of the causes of local variations in the competitiveness of pay in the public sector and shown the impact of these variations on health and teaching services. Recommendations arising from the research have changed the way funding is distributed to: Primary Care Trusts in England and Wales; the adjustment for excess costs in the resource allocation formula for health services in Scotland; and the structure of regional pay for doctors in the UK. The evidence also underpinned proposals by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2012 to introduce local pay for health service and teaching professionals in England.
The claimed impact, as defined by REF guidance, is therefore on policy debate and decisions, legislation and service delivery influenced by research.