Members of the Group are concerned with the study of public management, leadership, finance and policy, and also with governance more generally, including that of the economy. The Group has a particular emphasis on issues affecting local government and governance. Group members have developed particularly strong connections with public and local institutions in the UK, but there are also concentrations of research on Europe (east and west) and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Main research fields of group members are:

• City branding
• Civil society
• Commissioning
• Corporate social responsibility
• Governance
• Governance of labour markets, social policy, and education
• Innovation and improvement
• Local and regional governance and economic development
• Local government, including public scrutiny
• Management in central government, the health service, and the criminal justice system
• Patient and public involvement
• Public finance and taxation
• Public leadership
• Public value
• Social inclusion and exclusion