Title: Wales Centre for Public Policy
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) will work in a developmental manner with the Welsh Government and with Welsh public services to generate, synthesise and mobilise social science evidence that can improve policy making and public service delivery in Wales. It will assist Ministers and public services to make better use of evidence. It will extend, and continue to mobilise, the international network of experts which the PPIW has established over the last three years, and support UK academics, particularly those in the early stages of their careers, to engage in policy relevant research which has impact. The Centre will host two distinct, but complementary, programmes of work. The Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPIW) will build on the success that we have achieved over the last three years in order to continue to provide Welsh Ministers with access to timely, independent, authoritative expert advice based on the best available research. Its objectives will be to: 1. Work with Ministers and Welsh Government officials to understand their evidence needs and how best to meet them. 2. Support the First Minister and Cabinet Office to identify strategic cross-cutting issues that will be the primary focus of the PPIW's work. 3. Advise Ministers and officials on sources of policy relevant research evidence - from Wales, across the UK and internationally - and support them to engage with and access this. 4. Produce short-turnaround reports and briefings that summarise existing evidence and its implications for the Welsh Government's priorities. What Works Wales (WWW) will adapt and develop the successful model of knowledge mobilisation that has been pioneered by the PPIW to meet the evidence needs of public services. It will assist public services to generate and use high quality research based evidence that can inform effective local strategies, policies and programmes so that they improve outcomes for service users and promote vibrant and resilient local communities. Its principal objectives will be to: 1. Generate, synthesise and mobilise evidence about what works, and what does not work, in improving outcomes and the well-being of local communities. 2. Enhance the capacity of public services to access and use evidence effectively to directly inform local policies and practice. 3. Support career development and enhance the capacity of researchers to work with government and public services to generate and mobilise social science research that addresses societal challenges in Wales and beyond. 4. Enable Wales to play a full role in the What Works Network and other relevant networks by contributing evidence from Welsh public services and ensuring that they are equipped to access and use the evidence produced by the other What Works Centres. Through these two complementary programmes of work, the Centre will advance understanding of some of the most pressing societal challenges facing Wales and other parts of the UK, and it contribute new social science knowledge about what works in public service reform, policy making and implementation, and evidence use.

Lay abstract: As a small country with relatively young devolved institutions, Wales needs greater policy capacity. The Wales Centre for Public Policy will help to provide this. It will host the Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPIW) and a new What Works Centre for Wales (WWW) that will work in tandem to make social science evidence available and useful to Welsh Ministers and public services. The Centre will mobilise evidence about what works in addressing a wide range of economic and social challenges. It will focus on issues such as the economy and work; education; health and social care; and communities, housing and the environment, which are highly relevant to the delivery of the Welsh Programme for Government, vital to the future prosperity of local communities in Wales, and address the ESRC's current priorities. The Centre's work will be demand led. It will take a developmental approach that responds directly to the evidence needs of Ministers and public services. It will co-produce its work programmes and disseminate the results through iterative and interactive processes of engagement with Ministers, Special Advisers, officials, public service leaders and other stakeholders. The PPIW will design and conduct a programme of work that provides Ministers with the best available evidence and advice to help to achieve their priorities. It will: (1) Support the First Minister and Cabinet Office to identify strategic cross-cutting issues; (2) Work with Ministers, Special Advisers, and officials to identify their evidence needs; (3) Provide advice on how to meet these needs; and (4) Develop and mobilise an extensive network of policy experts to produce and present short-turnaround reports and briefings. WWW will work with public services and Public Service Boards to improve outcomes for local communities. It will support them to marshal, mobilise and generate research evidence that will help inform local strategies, policies and programmes. WWW's research will be relevant to, but independent of, government, and it will contribute to academic debates and networks - in Wales and beyond. It will: (1) Work with public services, service users and communities to determine what works, and what does not work, in promoting economic, social and environmental well-being; (2) Build up the capacity of public services to access and use evidence; (3) Generate and mobilise social science research to address contemporary societal challenges; and (4) Enable Wales to contribute to the UK wide What Works Network. Drawing directly on its policy work for the Welsh Government and public services, the Centre will contribute new insights on three cross-cutting research themes: (1) What works in public service reform; (2) What works in policy making and implementation; and (3) What works in evidence use. All three of these issues are high on research agendas in a range of core disciplines including public policy, social policy, public administration and political science, and the Centre's work will, therefore, help to shape future research in these fields. Its research on public service reform will analyse approaches to prevention; service integration; innovation; and user and citizen engagement. Its research on policy making and implementation will focus on whether, and if so how, meso-level governments can mitigate the impact of reductions in public spending through the use of other 'policy resources'. Its research on evidence use will identify mechanisms that work best in enabling evidence generated by researchers to inform policy and practice. The Centre's policy and research work will be relevant to policy makers, practitioners and researchers in other parts of the UK and internationally, and we will collaborate with professional and academic networks to facilitate comparative analysis and cross-jurisdictional learning.

Research activity codes: 2.6 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AETIOLOGY);8.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (HEALTH SERVICES)
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE