Title: What Worked? Policy Mobility and the Public Health Approach to Youth Violence
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Aim The study responds to the urgent social problem of rising youth violence by seeking to establish a new evidence-base on public health approaches to violence reduction, and the ways such policies transfer between jurisdictions, to shape policy, guide best practice, and inform public debate. Objectives 1. Establish an expert-led appraisal of the public health approach to violence reduction in Scotland, to develop a coherent picture of 'what worked' in policy and practice. 2. Triangulate explanations of violence reduction through collection and analysis of relevant qualitative and quantitative data, grounding explanations in empirical evidence. 3. Analyse the development of the public health approach to youth violence in London, contributing to policy and practice in real time. 4. Evaluate the factors that are promoting or impeding change in London at the level of policy, practice and community. 5. Synthesise evidence from Scotland and London, establishing a cross-jurisdictional knowledge-base on best practice and 'what works' in violence reduction. 6. Mobilise this evidence to shape policy, guide best practice, and inform public debate. Research Questions 1. What are the factors that contributed to the reduction in youth violence in Scotland? a. Who were the key actors, institutions and networks involved and what were their roles? b. What were the social, political, and cultural conditions in which violence reduction occurred and how did it come to be defined in terms of a public health approach? 2. To what extent can claims of 'what worked' be substantiated by evidence? a. What explanations for violence reduction are offered by policy-makers, practitioners and communities affected by violence? b. Can these claims be triangulated or validated? 3. How is the public health approach to youth violence developing in London? a. What are the contexts and settings in which the public health approach is being promoted? b. How is the public health approach being interpreted, and what are its implications for policy and practice? 4. What factors are promoting or impeding change at the level of policy, practice, and community? a. What are the influences on violence reduction policy and practice in London? b. Can lessons be drawn from the Scottish experience to inform violence reduction in London? 5. To what extent can a coherent public health approach to violence reduction be identified? a. According to the available evidence, 'what works' in violence reduction and to what extent can this be categorised as a public health approach? b. What is the significance of local context in the movement and adoption of policy? 6. How can this evidence be mobilised to effect change in policy, practice and public debate? a. Who are the key stakeholders in violence reduction across policy, practice and public domains? b. What role can public engagement, policy collaboration and practitioner cooperation have in enabling change?

Lay abstract: The study seeks to further the ESRC's strategic objective of a 'safer, fairer society' through establishing a new evidence-base on public health approaches to violence reduction, and the ways such policies transfer between jurisdictions, to shape policy, guide best practice, and inform academic and public debate. The study responds to the urgent social problem of rising youth violence. England and Wales have seen marked increases in homicide, knife crime, and hospital admissions for stab-wounds, with particular concentrations in the city of London. Cressida Dick, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has stated that tackling youth violence is her 'number one priority.' In March 2019, UK Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled a consultation on a new public health strategy for youth violence. This approach, which seeks to address violence using principles of prevention and education rather than policing and justice, marks a major step-change in policy. The interest in developing this approach stems primarily from Scotland, where radical reductions in violent crime over the last decade have been attributed to the adoption of a public health model. There is however a lack of clear understanding of 'what worked' in the Scottish context. While there have indeed been marked declines in youth violence, the mechanisms that have driven this decrease are poorly understood. There is confusion over what public health approaches are, how they work, and the conditions under which such ideas can travel. As a result, despite significant potential, the implications of the public health approach remain vague. The study will be delivered in three work-streams over a three year period: 1. What Worked Through thirty semi-structured interviews with elite actors - senior police, politicians, and civil servants - we will establish an expert appraisal of the causes of violence reduction in Scotland. This will be complemented by a detailed documentary analysis, investigating the social, political, and cultural conditions in which violence reduction occurred, and a series of twenty semi-structured interviews with practitioners and residents of communities affected by violence to establish a bottom-up account of change. Finally, available statistical data on violence and health will be leveraged to triangulate explanations. These data-sources will be combined to produce a policy briefing, two journal articles, and a short film on the theme of 'what worked'. 2. Policy Travels Using flexible and responsive ethnographic methods, we will track the evolution of the public health approach in London as it evolves in real time, entering the 'assumptive worlds' of policy through attendance at key meetings and events. Observations will be complemented by a series of thirty semi-structured interviews with elite actors engaged in violence reduction in London, and twenty semi-structured interviews with local residents and youth practitioners, exploring the factors that promote or impede change. Mirroring data-collection in Scotland, relevant statistical data will be used to evaluate the extent to which policy changes are impacting on violence reduction. These data will be used to produce a second policy briefing, two journal articles, and a series of podcasts on 'how ideas travel'. 3. Connecting Communities Data from these work-streams will be connected via an open access data-set to enhance understanding of best practice in violence reduction. Data will be analysed and published as an academic monograph aimed at scholars working in the areas of criminology, public health and social policy. Through our advisory group and engagement with policy user-groups, we will engage directly with policy actors at the highest level, and using cooperative methods will create a practitioner toolkit. Communities of policy, practice and public will be connected through a website, a series of events and a roadshow.

Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH