What we do
IPEG’s work divides broadly into three inter-related themes: spatial economic dynamism and change; institutional and public service reform, and; civic renewal and community capacity building. Within each of these areas, we are interested in understanding the role that public institutions and policies play in steering desirable economic, social and environmental changes and how they might do so more effectively. At the same time our core concern with governance, and not just government, means we recognise that tackling key 21st century challenges rests upon the renewal of civic, social and economic infrastructures and relationships and not only on smarter policy-making.
IPEG’s research to date has been grouped around the core themes of:
- Civic renewal & citizen behaviour change
- Methods of public policy and public service reform
- Innovative evaluation methods, e.g. Randomised Controlled Trials
- Local governance reform, and
- Urban-regional economic development.
The cornerstones of our approach to research are: methodological innovation, including the development of experimental approaches to behaviour change; inter-disciplinarity, and the fusing together of different forms of explanation based on both quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques; a comparative approach which seeks wherever possible to build upon international experiences, knowledge and collaborations, and co-production, whereby we seek to engage sponsors, stakeholders and users in the design, delivery and dissemination of research and its findings.
Our successful track record in contributing to theoretically informed, empirically rigorous and practically useful social science is built upon the completion of a wide range of applied research programmes, projects and commissions. Past sponsors of IPEG’s work include international and European agencies, UK research councils, charities, think-tanks and umbrella organisations, national government departments and agencies, sub-national development bodies and local authorities.