Why is academic research so important to local government and decision-making, as we go forward. Graham Sansom, Professor at the UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance in Sydney, Australia and Associate Editor of CLGF's academic journal explains.

How it began

The 25^th issue of the Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance (CJLG) was published at the end of December. The proposal for a journal emerged from the inaugural CLGF Research Colloquium, held in conjunction with the Forum’s biennial conference in Auckland in 2007. CJLG was then launched at Marlborough House, the Commonwealth’s London headquarters, in April 2008. The Commonwealth Secretariat provided some financial support, and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) offered its ePRESS publishing facility at no cost. Prof Graham Sansom, then director of the UTS Centre for Local Government, became the founding honorary editor, assisted by CLGF’s Research Officer, Dr Randal Smith, and the Centre’s Daniel Grafton.

In 2011 Prof Alison Brown of Cardiff University, Wales, took over as editor and oversaw a dozen issues until late 2020, with support from her Cardiff colleague Diane Bowden, CLGF’s Gareth Wall and Idil Mohamed, and copy editor Juliet Chalk. I recently returned as Associate Editor for 2021-22. 

Evidence for policies and programmes

CJLG was expected to achieve several key objectives: to promote an exchange of information and ideas across CLGF’s varied membership of local and central governments, professional institutes, trade unions and universities; to highlight the work of CLGF’s Research Advisory Group and foster relevant new research; and to provide the evidence needed for CLGF policies and programmes. Publishing a journal went hand in glove with holding biennial research colloquiums, as well as funded research projects such as the 2013 book New Century Local Governance: Commonwealth Perspectives.

Critical insights

CJLG was therefore conceived as an integral part of CLGF’s broader operations – a tangible resource – rather than ‘just another academic journal’. It continues to offer critical insights into diverse aspects of local governance across the Commonwealth, especially in developing countries, and plays a valuable role in encouraging ‘new’ authors. But over recent years the focus has shifted towards ‘scholarly’ articles rather than practice, and the journal has become somewhat peripheral to CLGF’s activities.

So, as we celebrate CJLG’s 25^th issue, we also need to consider its future. CLGF’s own circumstances and operations have changed considerably since 2008: are the journal’s founding goals still relevant? The answer is surely ‘yes’. Perhaps more than ever, CLGF’s status and credibility require a solid evidence base, with effective linkages between research, policy and practice. CJLG offers both a free (in every sense) flow of information and ideas: its 25 issues contain a wealth of valuable material for CLGF, its members and partners. CJLG also provides a promotional vehicle to boost CLGF’s profile with regular articles on the Forum’s activities and achievements – as it did in early issues.

Research to address future challenges

Inevitably, COVID has disrupted some of the networks that underpinned CJLG, notably the Research Advisory Group and its biennial colloquiums. But those foundations can be restored, and meanwhile the flow of high-quality papers for publication remains strong. Issue 26 is expected to feature articles from Africa, Australia, Canada, the Pacific, South Asia and the UK, with a strong focus on the practice of local governance, covering topics such as metropolitan government, the future of smaller town councils, the work of ‘street-level’ bureaucrats, managing sporting mega-events, and enhancing resilience in the face of natural hazards.

CJLG has delivered considerable benefits at minimal cost. Hopefully 2022 (or perhaps 2023?) will see the journal’s publishers, contributors and supporters meeting in person once more, reflecting on what has been achieved, and charting a course for the next decade and beyond.  

With such critical challenges facing us all - climate change, rapid urbanisation, covid recovery, not to mention working towards the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - and limited resources, every policy we create and action we take has to be backed up by research and data, as there is little time or expense to spare. Take a look at the Journal - past and present editions and contact us if you feel you have something to contribute.