Projects

Democratic Management and Public Sector Reform Challenge Our Work Publications The public sector is facing the most extensive budget cuts in decades, but for a large part lacks coherent strategy and legitimacy in facing a drastically different future. How can public sector adapt to the demands of government, the public and the policy literature? Coherent and forward-thinking ideas are needed to allow public sector organisations to function efficiently and effectively in providing ‘joined-up’ services, while adapting to an ever-more complex environment. Building on our work on Public Value, organisational democracy and public service responsiveness, Research Republic is developing frameworks for action and practical interventions for practitioners. Focussing on the democratic manager as the agent of change, we will suggest how public sector organisations can increase their efficiency and effectiveness, strengthen their legitimacy, and support innovation through engaging the public. Forthcoming, please see our blog for more information or get in touch.   The Future of Higher Education Challenge Our Work Publications With the social and economic purpose of higher education drawing much recent attention, clarity over the purpose of the sector is needed to inform sound and progressive policy. Research Republic is developing an overview of the challenges confronting higher education in the UK, to create a systematic and problem-oriented view of how educational institutions create value and how this can be harnessed by the knowledge economy. (Forthcoming)   Quality of Work Challenge Our Work Publications The quality of work is of increasing interest for policymakers due to its significant impact on health, life expectancy and life chances. 'Good work' meanwhile, is of interest to government for meeting several policy targets, and to corporations for delivering significant productivity gains. Research Republic, in association with The Work Foundation, has delivered two key reports defining 'good work' and clarifying its relationship to employment policy and policies governing the nature and quality of workplace relationships. We are currently supporting the work of the Good Work Commission, which is seeking to outline a vision for encouraging performance, engagement and fairness in employment through good work. Ownership and Good Work (January 2010) Smoke, Mirrors and the Employment Relationship (December 2009) 'Good Work': Job quality in a changing economy (September 2008) Stress at Work (February 2007)   Ownership Challenge Our Work Publications The extent to which ownership influences engagement and decisionmaking is largely unknown. The fragility of shareholder models of ownership in the recent financial crisis has led to interest in new forms of ownership, but what is their potential for fostering fairness and good practice in the private and public sector? Research Republic is currently researching the relationship between ownership and decision-making, particularly in terms of its effects on the workplace and on public services. (Forthcoming)   Intangible Assets Challenge Our Work Publications All industrialised economies are becoming knowledge based: competitive advantage and organisational performance is moving from investment in physical assets and low skilled labour to investment in intangible knowledge based assets such as R&D, design, brand equity, software, and human and organisational capital. Research Republic has examined how intangible assets can be integrated into policymaking and financial reporting, and is currently analysing the role of intangible assets in leveraging additonal value from the public sector. Accounting for Intangibles: Financial reporting and value creation in the knowledge economy (September 2009)   Public Service Innovation Challenge Our Work Publications How can public services adapt to rising citizen expectations and increase efficiency and effectiveness in response to the increasing diversity and pace of change in society? Innovations in delivery must be accompanied by innovations in policy. Research Republic is engaged in a continuing project to examine the specific constraints on innovation in the public sector, and suggest how policy can support innovation. We are currently researching innovation in particular areas of the sector, and specific mechanisms for encouraging innovative service provision. Public Service Responsiveness: We Need to Make Democracy a Two-Way Street (June 2009) Public Service Innovation (December 2007)

Public Value Challenge Our Work Publications Divergent demands on public services to increase efficiency and respond to increasing citizen expectations have created a disconnect between providers and the communities they serve. To resolve this, public service providers need to effectively understand and manage their relationships with citizens, and policy must support more dynamic relationships between the two. Research Republic has published a series of reports examining various aspects of the relationship between public services and citizens. Our contributions have also developed a concept of public value as a dynamic process of authorisation, creation and management between service providers and citizens, and suggested how such a concept can concretely inform policy. Deliberative Democracy and the Role of Public Managers (Novermber 2006) Heritage, Democracy and Public Value (January 2006) Public Value, Citizen Expectations and User Commitment (January 2006) Public Value and Local Communities (January 2006) Public Value, Politics and Public Management (January 2006)