What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth

What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth
Name	What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth
Formation	2013
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Type	Research centre
Purpose	Applied evidence for local economic development
Region served	England
Parent organization	Nesta

What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth

The What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth was an English research body linking rigorous evaluation to local economic policy, engaging with UK Treasury, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Local Enterprise Partnership (England), Greater London Authority and City of Manchester stakeholders. It drew on expertise from University College London, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University of Cambridge and University of Birmingham to synthesize evidence on interventions such as enterprise zones, tax increment financing, infrastructure investment and skills policy. The centre produced accessible guidance used by actors including Mayors of London, Andy Burnham, Sadiq Khan and officials from Department for Communities and Local Government while collaborating with funders such as Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Barclays and European Regional Development Fund.

Overview

The centre operated as a node between researchers at Institute for Fiscal Studies, Behavioural Insights Team, National Audit Office, Rand Corporation and Institute for Government and practitioners in local authorities like Bristol City Council, Liverpool City Council, Leeds City Council, Newcastle City Council and Birmingham City Council. It prioritized evidence hierarchies championed by Cochrane Collaboration and Campbell Collaboration, adapting standards from What Works Network (UK), UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser guidance and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approaches. Outputs targeted audiences including Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Mayoral Combined Authorities, Business Improvement Districts and Homes and Communities Agency.

History and development

Launched in 2013, the centre emerged amid initiatives led by Nick Clegg, George Osborne, Theresa May and advisors from Nesta, Centre for Cities and New Economics Foundation. Early partnerships involved Economic and Social Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and academic groups at University of Manchester, University of Warwick and University of Sheffield. Over time it worked alongside programs from European Investment Bank, World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and International Labour Organization to align local growth evidence with international practice. Key milestones included methodological briefs, policy toolkits and case studies with authorities such as Cornwall Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Research methods and evidence base

Methodologically the centre emphasized causal inference drawing on randomized controlled trials, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity and propensity score matching applied to data from Office for National Statistics, HM Revenue and Customs, Companies House and Land Registry. It used standards promulgated by Campbell Collaboration systematic reviews and incorporated protocols from PRISMA and pre-analysis plans akin to designs used by Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, Angus Deaton and David Card. The centre also combined economic modelling approaches from National Institute of Economic and Social Research, spatial analysis methods similar to Centre for Cities work, and cost–benefit frameworks used by Her Majesty's Treasury and National Infrastructure Commission.

Key projects and findings

Major projects evaluated enterprise zones in Enterprise Zone (United Kingdom), assessed business support programmes delivered by British Business Bank partners, and examined interventions in skills training associated with Skills Funding Agency and City and Guilds of London Institute. Results included moderated effects from small-scale business advisory services similar to outcomes reported by Kiva microfinance studies and modest returns on capital projects comparable to findings from European Investment Bank evaluations. The centre published toolkits assessing local procurement initiatives, tax relief schemes like Business Rates Relief and regeneration projects akin to Canary Wharf and King's Cross redevelopment, highlighting heterogeneity of impacts across contexts such as North East England, South East England and Scotland.

Governance and funding

Governance involved oversight by advisory boards with members drawn from Nesta, University College London, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Local Government Association and private sector representatives from KPMG, PwC and Grant Thornton UK LLP. Funding combined grants from Nesta, philanthropic backers such as Paul Hamlyn Foundation, governmental allocations from Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and project-specific support from European Regional Development Fund and charitable trusts including Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Reception and impact

The centre influenced policy debates at Downing Street, in reports to House of Commons Treasury Committee and through briefings to All-Party Parliamentary Groups. Academic reactions referenced the centre in work by scholars at Queen Mary University of London, University of Sussex and University of York, while think tanks such as Institute for Public Policy Research and Adam Smith Institute critiqued its scope and methods. Its evidence summaries were cited in commissioning decisions by Local Government Association and in strategy documents for Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine initiatives.

Partnerships and dissemination

Dissemination channels included collaborations with Be Open festivals, seminars at Royal Society, workshops with Centre for Cities and training delivered jointly with Local Government Association and Civil Service College. The centre shared data practices with Open Data Institute, methodological guidance with Campbell Collaboration and capacity building with European Commission networks, while engaging media outlets such as Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, BBC and specialist journals including Regional Studies and Journal of Economic Geography.

Category:Research organisations in the United Kingdom Category:Public policy research