Collaborative innovation in a local authority – ‘local economic development-by-project’?

Event details

This paper analyses how local authorities address the challenges of prolonged austerity by making use of collaborative innovation, financed through bidding for instrumental technology-based projects.

Based on two case study projects within a local authority in England, analysis shows how local authority managers change their role, from brokers before and during bidding, to institution-builders during implementation, and networkers when attempting to capture long-term value from the projects. The findings also highlight the limits of this approach, as the limited nature of the projects makes it difficult for local authorities to capture long-term value, especially if there is no follow-up funding.

Speaker biographies

Dr Carlos Ferreira is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Business in Society, Coventry University. Carlos’ research interests focus primarily on how economies are made and changed, with an evolving interest in how alternative economic spaces and actors are imagined and constructed. Located at the intersection of business and policy, his work explores two main topics: how data and humans come together in business environments; and how moral and ethical concerns are translated into action in complex institutional environments.

Dr Kevin Broughton has over 20 years of research expertise within the arenas of inclusive economies, the voluntary sector, and neighbourhood regeneration. He has an academic background in economic geography and urban studies and is currently involved in a range of research around voluntary organisations, the cultural and creative sector, and heritage. Following undergraduate and postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham, Kevin worked in applied research centres in various universities and commercial consultancies across the West Midlands. Kevin has been at Coventry University since 2007, completing his PhD here via a 'Portfolio' route using outputs from 10 years of research. Kevin has undertaken evaluative research into many organisational support programmes, place-based initiatives, community-based projects and neighbourhood regeneration schemes.

Dr Kate Broadhurst is a Lecturer in Innovation and Strategy at Loughborough Business School. Her research interests fall within public policy and management and follow a number of paths. First, she is interested in sub-national forms of governance and place leadership and explores the factors that underpin the effectiveness of local partnerships as they seek to design and deliver strategies to address societal issues and improve economic growth. Second, Kate’s research explores public (service) management with a focus on service co-design, co-production and public value creation. With a background in social policy, before joining Loughborough in 2019 Kate had spent over 20 years working across the public, private and voluntary sector in a range of research, consultancy and programme management roles.

Dr Jennifer Ferreira is a Research Fellow based at the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University where she is involved in a range of projects as part of the Sustainable Production and Consumption, and Economic Development and Inclusive Economies research clusters. She is interested in the expansion and development of the coffee and coffee shop industries, in particular the role of coffee shops and coffee shop cultures in different places, the importance of sustainability, and the impact on local economic development.

Enquiries

For enquiries please contact Carlos Ferreira

ab6859@coventry.ac.uk

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