This think piece from the New Local Government Network argues for a reinvention of UK local government “which considers function over form and focuses on raising social impact above all else. This, we argue, involves nothing less than a major cultural shift towards three core values: creativity, collaboration and self-determination. This is a ‘changemaking’ vision which local government must actively embody within their own organisations. Maybe even more importantly, local government must also find ways to embed the core values of that vision within the communities and places they lead.” View the paper here.
This paper from the New Local Government Network argues for a new approach to improving productivity and local government “which considers function over form and focuses on raising social impact above all else. This, we argue, involves nothing less than a major cultural shift towards three core values: creativity, collaboration and self-determination. This is a ‘changemaking’ vision which local government must actively embody within their own organisations. Maybe even more importantly, local government must also find ways to embed the core values of that vision within the communities and places they lead.” View the paper here.
This paper from the New Local Government Network argues the case for local authorities to take a strong leadership role in enabling the ‘urban village’ approach to development. It argues that applying appropriate design principles results in benefits and four principal areas, transport choices, mental and physical health, crime reduction and social cohesion. It is an illustration of the importance of local government leadership in producing positive outcomes for its communities.
This paper from the Centre for Public Impact makes the case for moving on from the traditional approach on service delivery (whether in-house or outsourced) arguing that now a different mindset is emerging in many innovative governments and public agencies around the world. Rather than focusing on improving services directly, this approach aims to cultivate the conditions from which good solutions are more likely to emerge. The emphasis is on enablement rather than delivery. View the paper here.
This paper from the Institute for Public Policy Research and Nesta explores the development by local authorities of e-marketplaces to allow self-funded adult social care users and holders of personal budgets to search for and purchase products and services on Amazon or eBay style digital platforms. It has relevance well beyond the UK social care environment. View the paper here
This paper from the Young Foundation is calling for a fundamental change in the way health is understood by changing the focus to systems that create health instead of just mitigating illness. The foundation calls this new approach to health innovation “health creation”. It’s an important discussion in the context of promoting community well-being. View the paper here