Powers and Policy Levers: Constitutional Change and Devolution in Wales

The Welsh Government's key policy priorities include promoting economic growth, improving public services and tackling poverty. The Welsh Assembly has been granted a range of powers and policy levers that are relevant to achieving these objectives. But it does not currently have the same powers and responsibilities as the Scottish Government or many comparable regions/small countries in Europe and beyond. It also faces particular challenges associated with the delivery of public services (including health, education and transport) and the management of natural resources across its long and relatively densely populated border with England.

The research will analyse the powers and policy levers that are used by governments in comparable countries/regions and study how these have been used to best effect. It will assess the implications of this evidence from other regions/countries for policy makers in Wales and consider what, if any, additional powers would be likely to assist Welsh Ministers to achieve their policy objectives. It will also study how governments elsewhere manage the cross-border delivery of key public services, with a particular focus on experience from countries/regions which have a strong degree of economic, social and political integration with larger neighbours.

The study will combine reviews of the relevant academic and policy literature; the generation of new evidence through interviews with key policy makers; workshops with international academic experts to draw on experience and expertise from other regions/countries; and a programme of knowledge exchange with Ministers, special advisers and officials.

Direct beneficiaries of the research will include Welsh Ministers and their advisers and officials. It will also benefit policy makers in the UK Government by increasing understanding of the management of cross border delivery of public services, and it will be of indirect interest to policy makers in other parts of the UK who are involved in constitutional change and devolution, including the proposed city regions in England. It will indirectly benefit users in local government and health service managers in Wales by helping to inform the way in which the Welsh Government works with them. By helping the Welsh Government to maximise the effectiveness of its initiatives to promote economic growth, improve public services and tackle poverty, the research should benefit the people of Wales by securing better policy making and improved outcomes.

There is an on-going debate about the sustainability of the current devolution settlement, and two high profile commissions (on Devolution in Wales and on Public Service Governance and Delivery) have produced recommendations with potentially far reaching implications. In addition, the Smith Commission's proposals could have significant knock-on effects for Wales with outline decisions on the devolution of new powers for Wales due to be announced by 1st March 2015.

The process of constitutional change and devolution has, therefore, reached a pivotal point in Wales. The possibility of devolution of further powers from Westminster to the Welsh Government, combined with fundamental changes in the relationship between the Welsh Government and local government in Wales, presents new challenges for policy makers. In this context, Welsh Ministers need to know how to make best use of the powers and policy levers that are available to them; what new powers, if any, might help them to achieve their objectives; and how to work with the UK Government to manage the cross-border delivery of key public services including health, education and transport and the management of natural resources.

The distinctiveness of the Welsh context and devolution process means that the results of studies of constitutional change in Scotland cannot simply be 'read across' to Wales. There is a need for research specifically focused on Wales to contribute evidence that helps to inform policy - at devolved and UK level. The proposed study will provide new evidence and a platform for future research.

Senior Welsh Government officials have helped to design the research from the outset, and the First Minister for Wales and members of his Cabinet have been consulted on the study's objectives and have endorsed the need for it. Welsh Ministers, their advisers and officials will continue to be involved at all stages in the research. The proposed interviews and knowledge exchange and dissemination activities will ensure co-production of the knowledge and a high level of awareness and uptake of the research findings. Through his role as the Director of the Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPIW), the Principal Investigator has regular meetings with the First Minister for Wales and other members of the Welsh Government. The research will, therefore, engage directly with senior politicians and officials and feed directly into policy debates and decisions. The PPIW's Board of Governors are also influential opinion formers whose involvement will help enhance impact, and the PI has excellent access to senior officers of the Welsh Local Government Association and senior managers in the Health Service which will help facilitate engagement with local service providers. In addition, the PPIW is part of the What Works network which will provide opportunities for engagement and impact outside of Wales, particularly through its contact with What Works Scotland.