Neighbourhood effects and evidence in neighbourhood policy in the UK: Have they been connected and should they be?

Abstract

Rebecca Tunstall investigates the links between neighbourhood effects research and neighbourhood based policies, using the UK as a case study. The chapter argues that the neighbourhood effects literature is a prime example of where research can be used for 'evidence based policy' and that this approach is very attractive to policymakers and researchers alike. However, there is a distinct disconnection between researchers and policy makers which suggests that the two aspects should be more connected than they actually are. Using the Green Book, a policy set of guidelines for developing government lead policy in the UK, the chapter explores the questions that policy makers should ask from academics. These themes are developed through three case studies based on the author's own research linking the problems associated with living in different modes of housing tenures, growing up in social housing and seeking employment when living in stigmatised neighbourhoods. The chapter also presents results of a small scale survey, taken by participants of the seminar on which this book is based, to uncover how researchers regard the relationship between policy and evidence. In conclusion, the author explores the challenges that await researchers in the communication of their research to policy makers, the need to identify and tell an easy to digest story and the relevance of research in the current economic climate.