Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Francesca Gains Filed Under: All posts, Devo Posted:
There are democratic gains to be made from the election of a Greater Manchester mayor, argues Francesca Gains – but only if the right checks and balances are built in. On 5 May vast swathes of the country will go to the polls. Voters will elect a new mayor and assembly members in Greater London, […]
By Francesca Gains Filed Under: All posts, Devo Posted:
Greater Manchester this week becomes the first combined metro area to have its own mayor. Professor Francesca Gains looks ahead at what awaits Tony Lloyd. Arrangements to deliver an elected metro mayor for Greater Manchester take several significant steps forward this week. In the House of Lords, the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill moves […]
By Francesca Gains Filed Under: Featured Posted:
With less than 24 hours till the polls open for General Election 2015 Francesca Gains looks at the role undecided women voters could have on the outcome. Whilst the three female leaders, of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party, have sometimes grabbed the headlines, it is undecided women voters who will be key […]
By Francesca Gains Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Urban Posted:
Opposition to a mayoral model for Manchester overlooks a decade of innovation and collaboration that has delivered economic and social benefits for the region, says Prof Francesca Gains. Much has been made of backroom deals between the Chancellor George Osborne and Manchester City Council’s chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein to deliver the most significant devolutionary […]
By Francesca Gains and Dave Richards Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
In the final part of our special series on the Civil Service, Francesca Gains and Dave Richards sum up the debate and assess the future of the service during a period of great change. The most striking theme to emerge from the Policy@Manchester series of Civil Service ‘stocking-taking’ blogs by Martin Stanley and Colin Talbot […]
By Francesca Gains and Vivien Lowndes Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
As Chancellor George Osborne finalises arrangements for devolved funding in the run-up to the Autumn Statement, Francesca Gains and Vivien Lowndes ask what can be learnt from the experience of Police and Crime Commissioners in their first two years. Two years ago, 41 directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners for England and Wales took office, […]
By Catherine Durose, Francesca Gains, Liz Richardson, Ryan Combs and Christina Eason Filed Under: Westminster Watch Posted:
The next election is an unknown quantity, with pundits and pollsters both divided on the likely outcome. However one thing is becoming increasingly clear: there is unlikely to be a large-scale move towards a realignment in the House of Commons, with party selectorates continuing to exert influence which amounts to a continuation of a white, […]
By Francesca Gains Filed Under: Featured Posted:
How do Governments arrive at policy decisions in the United Kingdom? There has been a great deal of commentary on the apparent disconnect between Westminster and voters, with priorities not necessarily shared between the two. This book by Peter John, Anthony Bertelli, Will Jennings and Shaun Bevan, will help illuminate the reader on how these policy agendas are shaped, […]
By Francesca Gains and Claire Annesley Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
As expected, David Cameron has boosted the number of women in his Government. But this strategy is problematic, argue Professors Claire Annesley and Francesca Gains, and may not address the lack of women’s policy input in decision making. Earlier this spring Andy Coulson, David Cameron’s former spin doctor, suggested that ‘Sam Cam’ was the Conservatives’ ‘secret […]