Team

This project has brought together researchers from the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol.

Dr David Sweeting

David Sweeting BA, MSc, PhD, is Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Urban and Public Policy Research in the School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol. He was previously research fellow at the University of the West of England and was post-doctoral research fellow at the Autonomous University of Madrid in 2007/8. He has extensive research experience in local government and politics both in the UK and abroad, and has taken part in several comparative European research projects.

He has edited three books on local government and politics, including Directly elected mayors in urban governance, and published widely in the field, including in Local Government Studies, Urban Studies, Public Administration Review, Policy & Politics, and Environment and Planning C. He has appeared on local radio and TV, and contributes in to public debates on local governance in Bristol and beyond.

Professor Robin Hambleton

Robin Hambleton, BA, MA, PhD, MRTPI, FRSA, FAcSS is emeritus Professor of City Leadership in the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments (SPE), Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol.

He has extensive experience of working in, researching and advising on local government matters in the UK, the US and New Zealand.  He was the Dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (2002-07) and was founding President of the European Urban Research Association (EURA). He founded a company – Urban Answers – to assist city leaders in 2007: www.urbananswers.co.uk

He is the author of eleven books and over 400 articles on aspects of local governance, city management and place-based leadership. His latest books are ‘Leading the Inclusive City. Place-based innovation for a bounded planet’ (2015) and ‘Cities and communities beyond COVID-19. How local leadership can change our future for the better’ (2020).  Both are published by Bristol University Press.

Dr Thom Oliver

Thom Oliver BA, MRes, PhD is a Research Development Manager at University of the West of England, Bristol and an Associate Lecturer at the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham. He was previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University Business School. Thom has broad experience in comparative research of local government, regional governance and city leadership having worked on UK and European research projects. A qualitative research specialist, Thom is also part of the Qualitative Election Study of Britain, the worlds first qualitative longitudinal election study.

Professor Alex Marsh

Alex Marsh, BSc, MSocSci, is Professor of Public Policy and Head of the Centre for Urban and Public Policy Research at the University of Bristol. He has published on a range of topics in the broad field of housing and public policy, including on issues related to local governance and policy processes.

Joanna Howard 

Joanna Howard, BA (Camb), MPhil, is Research Fellow at the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Sussex

She has been a researcher since 2001, and worked in the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments (SPE), Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol and has carried out research on citizen participation, civic engagement and local governance in the UK, continental Europe and Latin America.  She chairs the Editorial Board of the Community Development Journal and is a trustee of Coda International.

The project has also received vital help along the way from Tessa Coombes and Audrey Leonel.