Becoming Research-Active in the Social Determinants of Health: a complexity-informed study of intelligent accountability in organisational culture change in local government

This project seeks to develop understanding of how local authorities can be supported to develop their own research infrastructure to address the social determinants of health. It uses a range of qualitative methods to evaluate initiatives that aim to encourage research-active cultures within local government. The work explores how public health leaders conceptualise what it means to be research-active at an organisational level, and builds on this to understand the processes involved in developing collaborative, inter-organisational relationships that can help transform local authority research cultures.

Findings from the study fed into the NIHR’s development of embedded researcher roles and broader initiatives to support the growth of collaborative research infrastructure in local government. The project identified practical recommendations that may be of particular relevance to public health leaders, corporate management boards, and research funders. These recommendations are intended to inform future schemes and policies aimed at supporting local authorities to become more research-active.

The research highlights several areas for further exploration. These include:

• Investigating the nature of resistance to research within local government, particularly beyond public health departments.

• Examining how the specific components of public engagement processes can be measured effectively.

• Evaluating the potential benefits and trade-offs of involving local residents in local government-led research.

• Exploring the potential for resident-led research on how local governments move from knowledge to action.

By addressing these areas, future research can deepen understanding of how to sustain and scale effective research cultures in local government and maximise the impact of co-produced knowledge.