Professor Sarah Ayres
B.Sc., Ph.D.(Aston)
Current positions
Professor of Public Policy and Governance
School for Policy Studies
Contact
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Research interests
Sarah’s work has explored the complexities of devolution and city governance by exploring the inter-play between formal and informal structures, processes and outcomes. Her research has provided critical insights into how ‘informal’ decision making, i.e. what happens behind closed doors between political elites, has shaped devolution in the UK.
This research has made a distinctive contribution by examining the impact of so-called ‘informal governance’ on different aspects of mainstream governance theory, including political innovation, democracy, policy effectiveness and the creation of public value.
Sarah has been an academic advisor to three successive UK Governments on English devolution and regularly provides written and oral evidence to both Government consultations and House of Commons Inquiries.
Research projects
2019-2024 Tackling the Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development Decision-making (Truud) funded by UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) (£6.7m).
2018-2019 Enabling Best Practice in Place Based Policy, Regional Studies Association Policy Expo Grant (£15k).
2017-2018 Promoting ‘informal governance’ as a leadership asset: A case study of Bristol Pound, Economic and Social Research Council (£33k).
2016-2017 Assessing the impact of 'informal governance' on devolution in English cities: A Case study of Bristol, Regional Studies Association Research Fellowship (£7.5k).
2016 Sub-national Governance and Policy Effectiveness, Éupolis Lombardy, Italy (€10k).
2015-2016 Urban dialogues: Creating inclusive urban spaces in uncertain global times, British Council (£42k).
2015-2016 Examining the role of ‘informal governance’ on devolution to England’s cities, Political Studies Association Research Commission (£5k).
2013-2014 How does collaborative governance scale up?, University of Bristol's Strategic Research Initiatives Fund and Policy & Politics (£5k).
2009-2011 Examining Regional Policy, South West Regional Development Agency (£16k).
2007-2010 English regionalism: rhetoric or substance? Evaluating decision making procedures for Regional Funding Allocations, ESRC, RES-061-23-0033 (£270k).
2006-2007 A gendered analysis of public service agreement targets, Equal Opportunities Commission (£20k).
2002-2005 Emerging patterns of governance in the English regions, L21951113, ESRC’s Devolution and Constitutional Change Programme (£80k).
2004 Reviewing and aligning regional priorities for rural areas, West Midlands Regional Assembly & Countryside Agency (£6k).
2004 Rural strategies, frameworks and policies, Midlands Regional Assembly & Countryside Agency (£5k).
2003 The implications of the Devolution White Paper for Rural Policy, ESRC & West Midlands Regional Assembly (£14k).
2002 The implications of the Devolution White Paper for Transport, ESRC, West Midlands Regional Assembly & West Midlands Constitutional Convention (£5k).
2002 Devolved approaches to regional governance in the West Midlands, West Midlands Regional Assembly & West Midlands Constitutional Convention (£5k).
2002 Who governs the West Midlands? An audit of government institutions and structures, West Midlands Regional Assembly & West Midlands Constitutional Convention (£5k).
1997-2002 Negotiating Regional Futures: the successes and failures of the Regional Development Agency network in the West Midlands, R00429824267, ESRC PhD studentship (£15k).
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Truud - Tackling the root causes upstream of unhealthy urban decision m
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
01/10/2019 to 30/09/2024
Promoting ‘informal governance’ as a leadership asset: A case study of Bristol Pound
Principal Investigator
Description
The aim of this impact project is to develop theoretical work on informal and diffused city governance through the case study of Bristol Pound (Bristol£). ‘Informal governance’ is about the…Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
09/01/2017 to 05/01/2018
Sub-national Governance and Policy Effectiveness
Principal Investigator
Description
The aim of this literature review has been to explore whether there is a connection between subnational governance and economic, policy and social benefits for a given territory. The review…Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
01/03/2016 to 01/04/2016
Urban dialogues: Creating inclusive urban spaces in uncertain global times
Principal Investigator
Description
This workshop will explore the construction of inclusive urban spaces in uncertain global times. One of the major impacts of the global economic crisis is the way it has deepened…Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
04/01/2016 to 29/07/2016
Assessing the impact of 'informal governance' on devolution in English cities
Principal Investigator
Description
The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of ‘informal governance’ on devolution to English cities post the 2014 Scottish referendum. Informal governance can be defined as a…Managing organisational unit
School for Policy StudiesDates
01/01/2016 to 31/05/2018
Thesis supervisions
Understandings and practices of citizenship in marginalised settings
Supervisors
An examination of how child neglect guidance is communicated and implemented from Government to Local Safeguarding Children Boards to frontline statutory services
Supervisors
Exploring ‘nested’ problematizations of Universal Credit payment to couples
Supervisors
Rethinking the relationship between voluntary associations, democratic citizenship, and cultural values
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
10/07/2024Power with Purpose? Further Reflections on Strengthening the Centre of Government
Political Quarterly
Tackling health inequalities
IPPR Progressive Review
The state of British policymaking
Parliamentary affairs
Balancing autonomy and collaboration in large-scale and disciplinary diverse teams for successful qualitative research
International Journal of Qualitative Methods
Operationalising a large research programme tackling complex urban and planetary health problems
Sustainability Science