Quantification, Administrative Capacity and Democracy
Lead Research Organisation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
Department Name: Centre for Analysis of Risk & Regulation
Abstract
Numbers increasingly govern public services. Both policymaking activities and administrative control are increasingly structured around calculations such as cost-benefit analyses, estimates of social and financial returns, measurements of performance and risk, benchmarking, quantified impact assessments, ratings and rankings, all of which provide information in the form of a numerical representation. Through quantification, public services have experienced a fundamental transformation from "government by rules" to "governance by numbers", with fundamental implications not just for our understanding of the nature of public service itself, but also for wider debates about the nature of citizenship and democracy. This project scrutinizes the relationships between quantification, administrative capacity and democracy across three policy sectors (health/hospitals, higher education/universities, criminal justice/prisons) and four countries (France, Germany, Netherlands, UK). It offers a cross-national and cross-sectoral study of how managerialist ideas and instruments of quantification have been adopted and how they mattered. More specifically, it examines (i) how quantification has travelled across sectors and states; (ii) relations between quantification and
administrative capacity; and (iii) how quantification has redefined relations between public service and liberal democratic understandings of public welfare, notions of citizenship, equity, accountability and legitimacy.
administrative capacity; and (iii) how quantification has redefined relations between public service and liberal democratic understandings of public welfare, notions of citizenship, equity, accountability and legitimacy.
Planned Impact
The project will deliver leading international research on one of the most pressing questions in the world of research and practice, namely the future of the control of public services. Apart from academic papers, a joint research volume and policy briefings, this project will deliver (i) a comprehensive cross-sectoral and cross-national database to indicate the spread of quantification in the three sectors and four countries, (ii) a comprehensive record of the consequences of quantification and economization on the public services, and (iii) a framework to assess administrative capacities in an age of quantification and economization.
There are three beneficiaries from this study:
- Academic researchers and students: The study will produce a range of research outputs for high-level international publications, a joint volume with an international press, and working papers contributing to the international and cross-disciplinary literature on the governance of public services. The outputs will be of particular relevance given the novel approach of this study, namely its bringing together of different disciplinary concerns, its cross-sectoral and cross-national perspective, and its direct relevance to contemporary debates on the governance of public services.
- Opinion-shapers: The study will directly engage and interact with opinion-shapers. The study's research, and its outputs are of direct relevance to debates about the future shape of public services, and the ways in which new forms of delivery can be controlled and regulated. The project will produce special practice-oriented outputs, such as policy briefs, and hold practice-oriented seminars to engage directly with opinion-shapers across all four jurisdictions. Particular emphasis will be on bringing together the different opinion-shapers in the different sectors to expose them to similarities and differences across sectors and jurisdictions.
- Practitioners: The study is of direct relevance to those involved in the control of public services as it offers a much-needed comparative analysis of an important trend in contemporary governance. To maximize the impact in the world of practice, the research will be initiated, conducted and finalized in close interaction with the world of practice, e.g. by using CARR's visiting fellows and policy advisory group, as well as other international experts to comment on and discuss emerging findings. We will integrate practitioner contributions during group research meetings, and hold practitioner-related seminars as well as publish policy briefs throughout the project. We will co-operate with LSE's Institute for Public Affairs to maximize impact. We will work with the Leiden University Campus in The Hague to connect directly with top-level public administrators in the national government in the Netherlands.
To facilitate knowledge exchange and engagement, we will further establish an advisory committee consisting of members from all three beneficiary groups. Initial members (confirmed) are Kai Wegrich (Hertie School of Governance Berlin), Jeremy Lonsdale (RAND Corporation UK), Philippe Bezes (CNRS-CERSA, France), Sandra Resodihardjo (Radboud, Netherlands), Christiane Arndt (OECD) and Jürgen Weber (WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany).
To support the dissemination of findings the project's website makes publicly available all working papers, policy briefings, and short web-video films.
There are three beneficiaries from this study:
- Academic researchers and students: The study will produce a range of research outputs for high-level international publications, a joint volume with an international press, and working papers contributing to the international and cross-disciplinary literature on the governance of public services. The outputs will be of particular relevance given the novel approach of this study, namely its bringing together of different disciplinary concerns, its cross-sectoral and cross-national perspective, and its direct relevance to contemporary debates on the governance of public services.
- Opinion-shapers: The study will directly engage and interact with opinion-shapers. The study's research, and its outputs are of direct relevance to debates about the future shape of public services, and the ways in which new forms of delivery can be controlled and regulated. The project will produce special practice-oriented outputs, such as policy briefs, and hold practice-oriented seminars to engage directly with opinion-shapers across all four jurisdictions. Particular emphasis will be on bringing together the different opinion-shapers in the different sectors to expose them to similarities and differences across sectors and jurisdictions.
- Practitioners: The study is of direct relevance to those involved in the control of public services as it offers a much-needed comparative analysis of an important trend in contemporary governance. To maximize the impact in the world of practice, the research will be initiated, conducted and finalized in close interaction with the world of practice, e.g. by using CARR's visiting fellows and policy advisory group, as well as other international experts to comment on and discuss emerging findings. We will integrate practitioner contributions during group research meetings, and hold practitioner-related seminars as well as publish policy briefs throughout the project. We will co-operate with LSE's Institute for Public Affairs to maximize impact. We will work with the Leiden University Campus in The Hague to connect directly with top-level public administrators in the national government in the Netherlands.
To facilitate knowledge exchange and engagement, we will further establish an advisory committee consisting of members from all three beneficiary groups. Initial members (confirmed) are Kai Wegrich (Hertie School of Governance Berlin), Jeremy Lonsdale (RAND Corporation UK), Philippe Bezes (CNRS-CERSA, France), Sandra Resodihardjo (Radboud, Netherlands), Christiane Arndt (OECD) and Jürgen Weber (WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany).
To support the dissemination of findings the project's website makes publicly available all working papers, policy briefings, and short web-video films.
Publications
Beaussier AL
(2020)
Steering by their own lights: Why regulators across Europe use different indicators to measure healthcare quality.
in Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Bowker G
(2019)
Thinking Infrastructures
Gibbons C
(2018)
Lending a hand: could machine learning help hospital staff make better use of patient feedback?
in BMJ quality & safety
Griffiths A
(2016)
Predicting quality failures in higher education
Griffiths A
(2017)
Predicting inspection outcomes using patient voice
Griffiths A
(2019)
Algorithmic Regulation
Griffiths A
(2018)
Wisdom of patients: predicting the quality of care using aggregated patient feedback.
in BMJ quality & safety
Guter-Sandu A
(2022)
The New Politics of Numbers - Utopia, Evidence and Democracy
| Description | Quantification tools, such as key performance indicators, risk assessments, ratings and rankings are increasingly being used to govern public services. This project examined in collaboration with partners in Germany, the Netherlands and France how the growth of, and changes in, quantification have impacted the way public services are organised, controlled and delivered across three sectors (health/hospitals, correctional services/prisons, higher education/universities) and four countries. The findings reported below concentrate on the UK case (this project's focus). Dynamics of quantification In all sectors, we observed an expansion of performance measurement over time (see also the QUAD performance indicator database) and a shift in emphasis from process and output to outcome measures. Yet, old measures are often not replaced; rather, new measures (e.g. outcome measures, such as student employability or patient-level outcome measures) are added to existing indicators (e.g. process measures, such as waiting times). This results in layered performance measurement systems, increased complexity and structural fragmentation across different dimensions of performance management (e.g. finance, safety and quality). Further, in the UK the demand for, and shape of, quantification (process, input, output and outcome measures) is often politically driven and linked to the management of, and reaction to, crises (e.g. hospital failures, prison riots), whereas in Germany there is more involvement of the professions (medical, academic, legal/criminology) in the development and operation of regulatory performance measurement systems. In the UK, emphasis tends to be placed (unintendedly) on behaviour modification in accordance with nationally set targets, rather than learning or reflexive policy modification. In contrast, in Germany governing by numbers is less centralised and behaviour modification driven (due to the federalist structure of the country). There is more scope for local adjustment and variation, and reflexive policy modification. Quantification and boundaries In the UK, in all sectors, emphasis is placed on making individual entities (hospitals, universities, prisons) comparable and governable. Performance is adjudicated at the level of the organisation, rather than the system as a whole. The stickiness of organisational entity based performance measures contributes to the endurance of an entity bias in public service regulation, which in turn undermines policies aimed at the system-level (e.g. health economies). It makes inter-organisational cooperation and coordination difficult and facilitates intra-organizational silo creation (e.g. quality vs finance vs operational performance). Administrative Capacity Across all sectors, we found a bias towards the administratively actionable. Means (e.g. process measures) run the risk of becoming more central than ends (e.g. patient welfare, rehabilitation, student learning). Although delivery capacity is often enhanced through quantification (see here in particular the prison service), coordination capacity is undermined because of intra-organisational silo creation and the entity bias of the measures. Lastly, we found that there often exists a lack of investment in analytical capacity. Although resources are spent on data and information management; investment in collective understanding and sensemaking (e.g. across divisions), reflexivity and learning is often lacking. |
| Exploitation Route | The above reported findings help better understand uses and limits of existing performance measurement systems in different public services, which will be useful for policy makers and regulators when revising existing or developing new regulatory regimes involving performance measurement (see here for instance the current revision of the Single Oversight Framework in the NHS). The project has already generated interest among different regulators. We have established good contact with one of the team members involved in the revision of the Single Oversight Framework and expect to be able to feed our findings into that process. Academically, our project resulted in a number of publications in internationally leading outlets contributing to the international and cross-disciplinary literature on the governance of public services. The rise of quantification in the governance of public services is a pertinent topic and the academic project outputs have made a key contribution to our better understanding of possibilities and limits of governing by numbers, also because of the novel approach of this study, namely its bringing together of different disciplinary concerns from a cross-sectoral and cross-national perspective. |
| Sectors | Education,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | http://www.lse.ac.uk/accounting/carr/research/quad |
| Description | We expect our project to contribute to increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy. This project has been completed in December 2019. As part of the project, one of the project's full-time research officer (Dr Alex Griffiths) developed a hospital care quality indicator based on an analysis of patient commentaries on twitter, Facebook and other social media as well as relevant NHS Choice websites (making use of the wisdom of crowds). Initial findings suggest that this indicator has stronger predictive power than the indicators currently in use by the Care Quality Commission (see entry in findings section). Initial presentation of these findings in an informal meeting to representatives from NHS Improvement generated great interest and a request for further information and involvement. A more detailed presentation was given to NHS Improvement as a result. Findings were also presented at CARR's (LSE) Regulators' Forum in March 2017, a forum created by CARR/LSE for knowledge exchange amongst regulators (participating organisations include, inter alia, NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission, and representatives from the General Medical Council and several further meetings with policymakers and regulators. The initial articulated interest suggests that there is great potential for economic (cost-saving) as well societal impact and impact on public service delivery and policy. The development of the indicator and underlying methodology and database have centrally contributed to the creation of PEP (the patient experience platform), which automatically identifies and gathers millions of items of publicly-available feedback from a variety of online platforms including social media to categorise and score feedback from patients. See https://www.pephealth.ai/. Dr Alex Griffiths (former QUAD Research Officer) is Chief Technology Officer at PEP Health and co-founder of PEP Health. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Title | Higher Education Providers Performance Measures Database |
| Description | The Database contains performance measures for all higher education providers (universities, further education colleges and alternative providers) for the period 2002/03 - 2012/13. This includes data not previously collated, including the past two sets of financial accounts for each alternative provider, a specially convened dataset for HE pupils studying at further education colleges, and complaints to QAA. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The database had two primary impacts: 1. It allowed for a machine-learning exercise to be run to determine which indicators, if any, could predict the outcome of QAA reviews. The finding was that none could, and therefore the planned data-driven, risk-based approach set out in the 2011 White Paper (Students at the Heart of the System) would not work. 2. The first collation of c.600 financial accounts purchased from Companies House and transcribed demonstrated the importance of checking alternative providers financial health. The indicators were not good enough to base a regulatory approach on but there was a clear, if not universally applicable, pattern that younger, less financially-sound alternative providers were most likely to have quality assurance issues. |
| Title | Quantification, Administrative Capacity and Democracy: Database of Performance Indicators Used for the Steering of Hospitals, Universities and Prisons in England, 1985-2015 |
| Description | This database seeks to capture the rise and extent of quantification as a tool of government by tracing the development of performance indicators used for regulatory purposes between 1985 and 2015 across different public service sectors (health/hospitals; higher education/universities; criminal justice/prisons) in the UK (with a specific focus on England). The cross-sectoral comparison intends to capture the diffusion of indicators across domains, and to compare temporal dynamics in the adoption of similar or different new public management instruments: Do indicators develop in a similar pace across sectors? What are their focus, audience and goals? And how did these change over time? |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This database informed the research conducted in the context of the QUAD project. The database is now prepared for making it publicly available. It will be a useful source that provides overviews of key performance indicators used for the regulation of hospitals, universities and prisons in England at different points of time (1985, 1995, 2005, 2015). It is a useful source for the tracking of the indicators' development over time. It is also a useful source for cross-sectoral comparisons of performance indicator development. |
| URL | https://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/855065/ |
| Description | "Quantification in Crisis" (Workshop organised at the LSE in collaboration with the French IFRIS Seminar Series "The shaping and government of crises") |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An international workshop organised at the LSE to debate the roles of quantification in the governance of economy and society. The workshop stimulated international knowledge exchange and led to increased interest in the QUAD research project and requests for further information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | 4S/EASST Conference Barcelona 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We presented a review of literature and first project findings related to the QUAD project at a large international conference to audiences interested in exploring the ways in which science and technology are increasingly performed 'by other means' as this fit well with our research project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Conference "The future of regulation and public policy" (CIDE, Mexico City) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An invited presentation was given on the roles of quantification in governing failure in hospitals drawing on, and disseminating, the findings from the QUAD project. The presentation provoked a detailed discussion and engagement with the audience, and audience members provided useful feedback. The debate was organised at the premises of CIDE (Centre for Research and Teaching in Economics) in Mexico City. It was also transmitted (live) via the Institute's Facebook site so that a wider audience could be reached. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | EGOS Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Members of the project attended the European Group for Organisational Studies (EGOS) 2017 conference in Denmark to present a collaborative paper. The group received interest in, and feedback on, the paper which is currently being prepared for submission. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.egosnet.org/2017_copenhagen/general_theme |
| Description | Higher Education Governance Roundtable (hosted by the Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation, LSE, and Shakespeare Martineau, London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Participation in Higher Education Governance Roundtable which explored how the capacity and capability of higher education governance models meet the expectations of the new regulatory framework of the Office for Students (OfS). The Roundtable involved practitioners and policymakers and was a useful forum to share and receive feedback on some of the key findings of the QUAD project. The meeting sparked questions and discussion afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Higher Education Governance and Regulation Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | One project member (Martin Lodge) co-organized launch meeting of Higher Education Governance and Regulation Network at LSE. Policymakers, regulators and academics met to discuss the future of HE regulation. The meeting was opened by Sir Michael Barber (OfS). The meeting sparked questions and discussion afterwards. Other QUAD project members (PI Andrea Mennicken, team member Alex Griffiths) participated in the discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Higher Education Roundtable |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Higher Education Roundtable held at the LSE and co-organised by one of the QUAD project members. Policymakers, regulators, professional practitioners, QUAD team members and other academics met to discuss the theme 'Preparing Higher Education Governance for Regulation'. The meeting was opened by Dame Elizabeth Fraud DBE (Vice-Chair of Council at the University of Nottingham). The meeting sparked questions and discussion afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Higher Education Roundtable |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Higher Education Roundtable held at the LSE and co-organised by one of the QUAD project members. Policymakers, regulators, professional practitioners, QUAD team members and other academics met to discuss the theme 'Risk Decisions in Higher Education Enterprises'. Roger King and Nick Petford were invited as speakers. The meeting sparked questions and discussion afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | ISQUA Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Alex Griffiths Presented his research to c.200 audience members at the International Society for Quality in Healthcare's 2017 Annual Conference. This resulted in requests for further information from 5 international bodies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://isqua.org/Events/london-2017 |
| Description | Invited Keynote Speaker - 4th Danube Conference for Higher Education (21 Oct 2022) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | At this event a keynote speech was given on "Accounting for Values: Evidence from the Prison Service of England and Wales" drawing on findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience (in particular policymakers in Higher Education) about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Invited Keynote Speaker - New Directions in Management Accounting Conference (EIASM) 16 Dec 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this event a keynote speech was given "From Management Control to Algorithmic Governance: Shifts in the Construction of the Governable Person " drawing on some of the findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Invited panelist at British Academy of Management Annual Conference (31 Aug 2022) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Andrea Mennicken was invited as a panel speaker to the Annual Meeting of the British Academy of Management in Manchester. The panel was entitled "Utopias, New Ventures and Dreams of Order: A Conversation between Andrea Mennicken and Fabio Ficano". In my presentation I drew on findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. Andrea Mennicken engaged in a conversation with Fabio Ficano, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist located in Silicon Valley. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Invited panellist "Author meets critics panel", SASE 29th Annual Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited panellist to "Author meets critics panel", at the SASE 29th Annual Conference hosted by the Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1, 29 June - 1 July, 2017; invited as critic of Wendy Espeland and Michael Sauder's book "Engines of Anxiety: Academic Rankings, Reputation, and Accountability" (Russell Sage, 2016). My discussion sparked questions and discussion afterwards and interest in our research project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited presentation at conference "Academia in the Age of Comparison: Methodological and Empirical Perspectives" (LCSS, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At the conference a presentation was given drawing on key insights from the QUAD project - particularly the Higher Education findings. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Invited presentation at conference "Technology and the disruption of professional work" (King's Business School, King's College London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this conference, a presentation was given on the roles of quantification in algorithmic regulation drawing on, and disseminating, the findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted a detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Invited speaker - "Futurology" conference organised by the Professional Standards Authority at the RSA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | At this event a presentation was given "Big data, machine learning and algorithmic regulation" drawing on, and disseminating, the findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Invited speaker Bielefeld University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | At this event an invited presentation was given on "Comparability, Competition and Control: Performance Measurement Practices in the Correctional Services of Germany and England and Wales" drawing on and disseminating findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Invited speaker University of Cambridge |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this event an invited presentation was given "Uncertainty, Risk and the Politics of Numbers in Post-Pandemic Societies" drawing on the findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Invited speaker University of Edinburgh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this event an invited presentation was given on "Custody, Care and Cost: Quantifying and Valuing Life in the Correctional Services" drawing on and disseminating findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Invited speaker University of Lausanne |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this event an invited presentation was given on "The New Politics of Quantification: Numbers, Rankings and Ratings in the Prison Service of England and Wales" drawing on and disseminating findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Invited speaker University of Sydney |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this event an invited presentation was given on "Custody, Care and Cost: Quantifying and Valuing Life in the Correctional Services" drawing on and disseminating findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Invited speaker York University (Schulich Business School) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this event an invited presentation was given on "Custody, Care and Cost: Quantifying and Valuing Life in the Correctional Services" drawing on and disseminating findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Invited speaker to OSR seminar on public good organized by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) (21 Mar 2022) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | In statistics and data, regulation and science, there is growing interest in how to demonstrate public good or public interest. This seminar compared and contrasted different approaches on how to account for public interest. I contributed as an invited speaker to this event drawing on findings from the QUAD project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | KCL & LSE Joint Workshop on Algorithmic Regulation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 12 Academics from Europe and the USA representing different fields gathered for a two-day workshop organised by jointly by King's College London and London School of Economic's Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation which has resulted in an edited book proposal being accepted. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.kcl.ac.uk/law/research/centres/telos/assets/DP85-Algorithmic-Regulation-Sep-2017.pdf |
| Description | Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (Cologne) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation of QUAD project results at conference "Historical Perspectives on Neoliberal Society", organised by the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne, Germany, 13-14 July. My presentation sparked questions and discussion afterwards and interest in the QUAD project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (Cologne) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An extensive review of the development of quantified performance management in the HM Prison Service of England and Wales was presented at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne to an engaging audience. This prompted an increased interest in the reviews and empirical analyses that will be undertaken as part of the QUAD project and useful discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Meeting with Director General for Regulation, Office for Statistics Regulation, UK Statistics Authority |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | QUAD group meeting with the Director General for Regulation, Office for Statistics Regulation, UK Statistics Authority to present and discuss findings from the QUAD project (in particular a database the QUAD team compiled on performance measurement over time in higher education, healthcare and the prison service that allows for the cross-sectoral comparison of quantification of control over public services). The database, which will be made publicly accessible at the end of the project, sparked questions, an engaged discussion and a request about continued involvement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Meeting with General Pharmaceutical Council |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Senior members of the General Pharmaceutical Council's Data and Insight Division invited Alex Griffiths to discuss research findings and seek advice on how these could shape future regulatory policy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Meeting with Head of Strategy and Planning (London Region) of NHS Improvement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | QUAD group meeting with Head of Strategy and Planning (London Region) and colleague of NHS Improvement to introduce and debate the QUAD (Quantification, Administrative Capacity and Democracy) project, including initial findings. We met a greatly engaged and interested audience and a request was made to involve NHS Improvement in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Organisation of End of Project Symposium "Quantification in the Regulatory State: Dynamics, Boundaries, Capacities" at LSE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This Symposium brought together academics, practitioners and policy makers to discuss key findings from the QUAD research project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Presentation to NHS Improvement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 20 regulators attended a presentation given by Alex Griffiths on the use of patient feedback to predict the outcome of inspections by the Care Quality Commission. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Quantification and Better Regulation Workshop (Regulatory Scrutiny Board of the European Commission) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Project members (Andrea Mennicken and Martin Lodge) presented results from the QUAD projects to the Regulatory Scrutiny Board of the European Commission at a roundtable/workshop on "Quantification and Better Regulation" organised at the premises of the European Commission. The presentation sparked questions and discussion afterwards and members of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board exhibited great interest in the project's results. They found the presentation and discussion very useful to reflect on their own use of quantification in the conduct of regulatory impact assessments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Regulating Higher Education Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | 40 attendees from across the international higher education field, attended a one-day event at the Royal Society for the Arts organised by two project members. Nine expert speakers presented over three sessions with significant and informed debate following. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Regulators' Forum discussing 'Wisdom of the Crowds' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Representatives from approximately 20 regulators attended a two-hour event to discuss 'The Wisdom of Crowds' based on work by Alex Griffiths. A 30 minute presentation was followed by 90 minutes of discussion about the merits of using feedback from service users to aid regulation and where this could be best applied. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | SASE Annual Meeting (Berkeley) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Work on The Quantification of Decency: Quantifying, Economizing and Moralizing in the Prison Service of England and Wales was presented at the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics Annual Conference. It is a large international event which enabled the dissemination of work so far on the QUAD project and prompted useful discussions with interdisciplinary audiences. This provided helpful comments and feedback to take the research forward and encouraged requests for more information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Talk/debate at General Medical Council (GMC) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | QUAD (Quantification, Administrative Capacity and Democracy) Research Officer Alex Griffiths gave a presentation to the General Medical Council's (GMC) Regulatory Development and Intelligence teams covering the use of quantified data in a regulatory environment and gave advice on the use of analytics to model high risk doctors based on the research conducted in the context of the QUAD project and his earlier PhD work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Talk/debate at General Pharmaceutical Council (GPC) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | QUAD (Quantification, Administrative Capacity and Democracy) Research Officer Alex Griffiths visited the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPC) and met with the GPC's Research Manager and Intelligence Manager to discuss the use of data to identify risk and prioritise inspections, and how best to communicate the challenges to policymakers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Workshop "Expert Narratives: Systems, Policies and Practices" (LSE) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this workshop, a presentation was given on the roles of quantification (in particular performance measurement) in governing and preventing failure (in healthcare, with a special focus on hospitals) drawing on, and disseminating, the findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted a detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Workshop "From Prices to Prizes and Vice Versa" (University of Bologna) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation at workshop "From Prices to Prizes and Vice Versa", University of Bologna. Mennicken presented initial findings from the QUAD project in a paper entitled "Quantifying and Valuing Life at the Margins: Ratings and Rankings in Healthcare and Correctional Services" to an engaging, interdisciplinary audience, which sparked a stimulating debate and resulted in further information requests about the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Workshop on "Ratings and Organisation" (FernUniversität Hagen, Germany) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this workshop, a presentation was given on the roles of quantification (in particular performance measurement) in public administration (prisons, hospitals and universities) drawing on, and disseminating, the findings from the QUAD project. The presentation prompted a detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research, and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Workshop on Economy and Society (LSE) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At this workshop, a presentation was given on Quantifying and Valuing Life at the Margins: healthcare and correctional services. The presentation prompted a detailed discussion and engagement with the audience about the research and audience members provided useful feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Workshop: Collecting, Sorting, Ordering: Practices of Listing in Popular Culture (University of Siegen) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Mennicken's extensive review on Numbers and Lists: Ratings and Rankings in Healthcare and the Correctional Services was presented at an international conference with an interdisciplinary audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.uni-siegen.de/phil/aktuelles/vortraege/724510.html |