Urban social policy. Area-based responses to deprivation. Urban governance systems. Community engagement and empowerment. International policy transfer. The reality and compromises of evidence-based policymaking and the intersection between policymaking and politics. The expectations and reality of community participation and tensions between local and strategic priorities.
My interest in urban social policy and tackling inequality draws from my experiences in developing and managing area-based responses to deprivation. I am committed to exploring ways of securing more equitable and just outcomes for all members of society. My professional experiences make me aware that urban policy attempts to tackle disparity and social exclusion are framed by issues of power at different scales. I am interested in the reality of the subsidiarity principle regarding what is best addressed at what spatial scale of government or governance and the political and economic drivers of how government steers the processes of allocating powers and responsibilities. In my PhD research I pursued this theme, locating neighbourhood governance within its political and economic context in the US and the UK. My research explores the inherently political nature of governance in terms of the rhetoric and reality of how it is used, and the strategies this reflects. My interests draw from my experiences of policy-making and politics in practice, which in turn inform my teaching, wherein I encourage students to question policies and to consider the context in which they have been formulated. My work with local communities to plan for growth and change has also sharpened my interest in the expectations and reality of community participation and tensions between local and strategic priorities.
