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Heseltine Institute policy briefings - Series three: Policy in an age of uncertainty - Call for papers

We are calling for contributions to our third full series of policy briefings, on topics related to our new theme Policy in an Age of Uncertainty. Following our first series (launched at the start of the first UK lockdown in Spring 2020 and focusing on Covid19) and second (focusing on the social and economic aftershocks of the pandemic), we are now looking to publish interventions which address a range of long-term issues and challenges facing policymakers in UK city-regions.

Following a decade of political shocks and economic stagnation, followed by a pandemic, the policymaking environment in the UK, in common with other nations in the developed North, appears increasingly uncertain. Politicians and policymakers in cities, regions and at the national level are grappling with increasingly complex challenges requiring sustained and long-term thinking about new solutions. This series aims to highlight innovative proposals to address these challenges from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives.

The purpose of our policy briefings is to:

  • Contribute to creative and innovative thinking about how city-regions in the UK can address the demographic, societal, economic, environmental and political challenges of the 2020s and 2030s, and benefit from the opportunities provided by new technologies, economic thinking and social change
  • Promote cutting edge research and practice from UK and international academics and policymakers as a way of encouraging knowledge transfer and learning
  • Connect researchers with policymakers to foster collaboration and improve understanding between policymakers, practitioners and researchers.

Why publish a Heseltine Institute (HI) policy briefing?

This series is part of the HI’s offer to exhibit and enhance the policy impact of research at the University of Liverpool and beyond. We work on a daily basis with policymakers, politicians and civil servants in LCR and across the UK to understand major public policy challenges facing cities and city-regions and how academic research can help answer them. Our policy briefings are circulated via our mailing list, with hundreds of recipients including policymakers, researchers and practitioners. We also promote them widely on our popular social media feeds.

Previous policy briefings have featured in parliamentary inquiries, been referenced in academic journal articles and help to foster research collaborations. They are an excellent way of demonstrating research impact for academics, and for policymakers and practitioners can promote innovative work which might inspire others. Our aim is to work closely with authors to constructively and collaboratively emphasise the impact of your work. We have previously worked with authors to adapt the findings from an academic journal article into a policy briefing, and to highlight some emerging findings from recent research.

Themes

The objective of this series is to produce and disseminate expert research and knowledge relevant to the Heseltine Institute’s mission to impact and influence public policy for tomorrow’s cities. We are interested in publishing policy briefings which address the critical public policy challenges and choices facing cities and city-regions. Briefings might address a particular problem and identify potential solutions, or provide a summary of an issue and its policy implications. Briefings may be based on findings from emerging research, lessons from practice, or discuss an area of public policy that might be under-explored in wider discourse. We are also keen to publish briefings which analyse policy and how it is developed, for example through evaluation of a particular policy intervention or policy agenda. The policy briefings are designed to be a space for testing new policy ideas and showcasing new perspectives on policy.

For this series, we have identified four themes which we are particularly interested in exploring through policy briefings from a range of disciplines.

Cities and city-regions

UK cities and city-regions are at the forefront of dealing with a host of major policy challenges over the coming years. We are keen to publish policy briefings which address these challenges and identify ways for urban policymakers to tackle them. Major strategic issues include: climate change and the transition to net zero; demographic change, most notably an ageing population; and industrial policy and its spatial dimensions.

Public services

Public services in the UK are under increasing strain, particularly following the economic and social aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic and over a decade of local government austerity. Devolution to combined authorities and cityregions in England mean local and regional policymakers are increasingly responsible in policy areas such as skills, health, transport, research and development and culture. We are keen to publish briefings which identify innovative responses to policy challenges in these areas and proposals for new ways of delivering public services.

Inequalities

Our cities and city-regions are increasingly defined by inequalities – between places and people, by health, wealth and opportunity. UK city-regions are home to some of the most nation’s wealthiest and most deprived neighbourhoods. We are interested in policy briefings which identify ways to reduce inequalities between places, and within places.

Power, politics and place

As we look towards a likely General Election in the UK in 2024, along with several important elections for local authorities and ‘metro’ mayors, the dynamics of our local and regional politics are likely to be of significant interest. We are keen to publish briefings which discuss the strengths, limitations and trajectories of regional devolution, and related national, regional and local policy areas such as planning and housing. We’d also welcome interventions on elections and voting, particularly in the run-up to key electoral events.

Guidance for authors

HI Policy Briefings are designed to be short, highly-focused and policy-orientated papers of up to 2,000 words. We aim to publish on a regular basis (at least once a month, often two or three times a month). Submitted briefings are reviewed by members of the HI team and, where appropriate, by other academics and policymakers. Our commitment to authors is to review submitted briefings quickly and provide constructive and helpful feedback with the aim of enhancing their policy impact.

To submit a draft briefing, or inquire about the possibility of drafting a briefing, please contact heseltine@liverpool.ac.uk.

Structure

We provide authors with a template for their policy briefing and papers will only be accepted for sense check and review when completed using this format.

To ensure maximum benefit and to capture the attention of our primary audience, it is essential that authors provide five key takeaways / policy implications in bullet point format, drawing attention where applicable to at least one positive policy intervention or innovation.

Additionally, in composing the main section, consider structuring your narrative in response to the following framing questions:

  • What (is the critical policy challenge you are addressing in this paper)?
  • So what (why does it matter to a city, city-region, the UK or internationally)?
  • Now what (actions that should be implemented), and by who (which actors should lead and be involved in implementation)?
  • And what are the policy implications arising from action / inaction?

Specialist terms / acronyms

As we are aiming for a multidisciplinary policymaker and practitioner audience with a wide variety of interests, be sure to explain any specialist terms in straightforward language. Organisational names should also be spelt out at the first mention, and the acronym subsequently.

References

Please provide only essential references up to a maximum of five. The Chicago referencing style should be used. Additional references can be added using hyperlinks and we encourage authors to utilise this function to provide links to supporting material.

Chicago referencing style bibliography:

Smith, Zadie. 2016. Swing Time. New York: Penguin Press.
Keng, Shao-Hsun, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem. 2017. “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality.” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring): 1–34.
Mead, Rebecca. 2017. “The Prophet of Dystopia.” New Yorker, April 17, 2017.

Chicago referencing style, in-text citations:

(Smith 2016, 315–16)
(Keng, Lin, and Orazem 2017, 9–10)
(Mead 2017, 43).

Further examples can be found here: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html

Illustrations

Authors may provide a maximum of three illustrations (e.g. photographs, charts, maps, tables etc.), in high resolution (at least 300 dpi), and preferably in JPEG or PNG format. A caption, and details of any necessary credit, should be supplied for each Illustration – please ensure you own the copyright for any images, or have permission to use them. Label each illustration appropriately to aid identification.

Biography

Please provide a penpic (maximum 50 words per author) explaining who you are, your organisation, and your primary area of interest.

Queries

Should you have any questions, please direct them in the first instance to heseltine@liverpool.ac.uk.