Our Work
Our Mission
To build collaboration between the research and policy community, by sharing evidence, nurturing skills, creating space for fresh thinking and preparing the next generation of policymakers.
What We Do
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Research: We harness expertise and evidence from across the University to evaluate policy and develop solutions.
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Connect: We provide a two-way link between the research and policy community.
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Build Bridges: We create a safe space for fresh thinking where issues divide politically or span across multiple governmental responsibilities.
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Develop Skills: We provide learning among academics to engage with policy, and with policymakers to enhance their understanding of problems, for the next generation of policymakers
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Create Solutions: We work with policymakers to ensure academic research contributes towards creating solutions to key problems that can be complex, divisive or hard to navigate.
Our Four Themes
Our research and activities span four cross-cutting themes of governance and the policy process. The Centre for Public Policy is where evidence meets practice. We work with academics across the University and build partnerships with the policy community, to foster joint working and evidence-based policymaking.
Public Policy
From climate change to inequality, to demographic and technological change, the University of Glasgow is home to world-class research addressing many of the big policy challenges facing governments today. The Centre for Public Policy harnesses that cross-disciplinary expertise, helping to connect the policy community and public to the insights, ideas and solutions emerging from our research. The Centre is also focused on supporting the policy process, including through evaluating public policy, identifying barriers and opportunities to embedding prevention in policy making and understanding and bridging the gap between policy outputs and their implementation.
Practice
Policy outputs are plans. Putting these plans into practice requires effective public administration, with collaboration across a wide range of public, private and third sector organisations, as well as local communities, often in complex and uncertain environments. The Centre conducts research on comparative public administration and builds capacity among practitioners, offering professional education, nurturing next generation practitioners, and promoting opportunities to connect practitioners at different career stages to research evidence and expertise.
Multi-Level and Strategic Governance
Many policy challenges span the responsibilities of multiple government departments and of different governments. Our research examines comparative multi-level governance and territorial politics, including in countries with devolution. We explore how the constitutional allocation of powers shapes the responsibilities and capacity of governments to address policy challenges, as well as the relationships between governments Within governments, major policy challenges increasingly demand a more strategic ‘whole of government’ approach to the design and delivery of public services and policy ambitions. Our activities explore and support strategic governance, including our pioneering Policy Lab.
People-Centred Policy
Public policy should be inclusive and participatory. This means tailoring policy to the needs of diverse individuals and communities, and empowering people to take part in the policy process. Our research and activities contribute to raising awareness within the policy community of research on innovative and inclusive participatory approaches to policymaking. Our research also examines the implementation of human rights, and how gaps in access to rights can be addressed. We are committed to working in partnership with community and third sector organisations, and creating collaborative spaces where policymakers, communities and experts can work together to shape forward-thinking policy.
Spotlight Podcast
The University of Glasgow Spotlight podcast discusses public policy and the political process – at a local, national and international level – through a Scottish lens.
It brings together the very best insights from across the University of Glasgow and beyond in an accessible and engaging way.