Hock, E. orcid.org/0000-0002-8617-8875, Scope, A. and Booth, A. (2024) Examining research systems and models for local government: a systematic review. Evidence and Policy, 20 (4). pp. 531-556. ISSN 1744-2648
Abstract
Background: Local authorities (LA) are key in improving population health, and LA public health decision makers need support from appropriately organised research capacity; however, few models of LA research systems are known to exist.
Aims and objectives: To explore potential and existing models of LA-based research systems.
Methods: This mapping review and time-constrained systematic review synthesises conceptual and empirical literature from 12 health and social science databases, grey literature and reference/citation tracking. Three reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full texts of retrieved records, and extracted key data from included papers. Evidence was synthesised based on characteristics of research systems and quality-assessed for relevance, rigour and richness.
Findings: Nine models were examined in depth. From these, we developed a typology of research systems. Few models were specifically designed for LA research activity; as a Whole System approach, the Local Authority Champions of Research model offers a potential blueprint. Useful lessons may be learned from UK Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research, Academic Collaborative Centres in the Netherlands, local Research and Development units in Sweden, and generic University-Community partnerships.
Discussion and conclusions: An optimal research system requires the coexistence of multiple systems including Centre, Partnership, Collaboration, Network and Community types. The review is UK-focused, but the models appear to have wider relevance. Our classification offers those planning an LA research system the opportunity to choose an approach that meets their requirements and resources. A Whole System approach is optimal, with egalitarian input from the LA and academia.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The author(s). Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in Evidence and Policy is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | research capacity; local authorities; mapping review; university-community partnerships; research systems |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Medicine and Population Health |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 23 Oct 2023 10:30 |
Last Modified: | 20 Feb 2025 16:08 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Policy Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1332/17442648Y2023D000000002 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:204480 |
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Filename: REC@LL manuscript final version for repository.pdf
Licence: CC-BY 4.0