Professor Stephen Martin

Qualifications

BA (Hons) First Class, Oxford University
PhD, Aston University
DipITP, University of Marseilles

Teaching profile

Steve teaches on the Cardiff’s Masters of Public Administration programme, which he played a leading role in establishing in 2005. He also contributes to the IDeA’s Leadership Programme and regularly speaks at national conferences on service improvement and local government policy.

He has provided in-house training for the National Audit Office and a range of local authorities, and he led the ‘Understanding Whitehall’ for senior local authority officers and elected members. He was a module leader on the European Union’s MEANS programme, providing training in evaluation methods to senior Commission officials. He has taught MBA and undergraduate programmes at Aston, Birmingham and Warwick Universities and served as external examiner for Masters and Doctoral programmes at Durham University, Birmingham University and Trinity College Dublin.

Research interests

The impact and effectiveness of the ethical framework in local government, Standards Board for England (2008-2011)

Comparing for improvement: the development and impact of public services audit and inspection, Economic and Social Research Council (2006-2008)

Competition and contestability in public services, Audit Commission (2006-2008)

Review of the Best Value Audit Process, Accounts Commission (2006-2007)

International approaches to local governance, Department for Communities and Local Government (2004-2007)

Meta-evaluation of the Local Government Modernisation Agenda, Department for Communities and Local Government (2003-2007)

Independent review of the role and effectiveness of councillors, Welsh Assembly Government (2006-2007)

Evaluation of the long term impact of the Best Value regime, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2001-2006)

Mid tern review of structural fund Objective 1 and 3 programmes, Wales European Funding Office (2002-2003)

Evaluation of the Neighbourhood Support Fund, National Youth Agency (2001-2004)

Beyond performance management, Economic and Social Research Council (2001-2004)

The impact of inspection on local government, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2001-2004)

Partnership working between the public, private and voluntary sector, Welsh Assembly Government (2001-2003)

Evaluation of the Best Value Pilot Programme, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997-2000

Selected publications

Martin S.J. (2008) ‘Engaging with citizens and other stakeholders’ Government Public Relations: A Reader, M. Lee (Ed). (Taylor and Francis: New York).

Andrews, R. and Martin, S.J. (2007) ‘Has devolution improved public services? An analysis of the comparative performance of local public services in England and Wales?’, Public Money and Management 27 (2) pp. 149-156.

Martin S.J. and Webb A. (2007) ‘The conditions for collaboration’ in The Collaborative State, Parker, S. and Gallagher, N. (eds) pp. 61-70. (Demos: London).

Entwistle, T., Bristow, G., Hines, F., Martin, S.J. and Donaldson, S. (2007) ‘The dysfunctions of markets, hierarchies and networks in the meta-governance of partnership’ Urban Studies 44 (1).

J. Downe and S.J. Martin (2007) ‘Inspecting for Improvement? Emerging patterns of public service regulation in the UK’, Environment and Planning C 25 (5) pp. 63-80.

J. Downe and S.J. Martin (2007) ‘Regulation inside government: processes and impacts of inspection of local public services’, Policy and Politics 35 (2) pp. 215-232.

J. Downe and S.J. Martin (2006) ‘Joined Up Policy in Practice? The Coherence and Impacts of the Local Government Modernisation Agenda’, Local Government Studies 32 (4) pp. 465-488.

S.J. Martin (2005) ‘Public service improvement: current developments and future research agendas’ Local Government Studies 31 (5) pp. 531-540.

T. Entwistle, S.J. Martin and G. Enticott (2005) ‘The politics of performance improvement’ Local Government Studies 31 (5) pp. 541-554.

S.J. Martin (2005) ‘Evaluation, inspection and the improvement agenda: Contrasting fortunes in an era of evidence based policy making’, Evaluation 11 (4) pp. 496-504.

T. Entwistle and S.J. Martin (2005) ‘From competitive tendering to collaboration in public service delivery: a new agenda for research’, Public Administration 83 (1) pp. 233-242.

D.N. Turner and S.J. Martin (2005) ‘Social entrepreneurs and social exclusion: building local capacity or delivering national priorities’, International Journal of Public Administration 28 (9-10) pp. 797-806.

G. Boyne, S.J. Martin and R.M. Walker (2004) ‘Explicit reforms, implicit theories and performance improvement: the case of Best Value’, Public Management Review 6 (2) pp. 189-210.

P. Beynon-Davies and S.J. Martin (2004) ‘Electronic Local Government and the modernisation agenda: progress and prospects for public service improvement’, Local Government Studies 30 (2) 214-229.

S.J. Martin (2004) ‘The changing face of public inspection’ Public Money and Management 24 (1) pp. 3-5.

D.N. Turner and S.J. Martin (2004) ‘Managerialism meets community development: contracting for social outcomes’ Forthcoming Policy and Politics.

R. Cowell and S.J. Martin (2003) ‘The joy of joining up: modes of integration in the Local Government Modernising Agenda’ Environment and Planning C, 21 (1) Forthcoming.

S. J. Martin (2002) ‘The modernisation of UK local government: markets, managers, monitors and mixed fortunes’ Public Management Review 4, (3) 291-307.

H. Davis and S.J. Martin (2002) ‘Evaluating the Best Value pilot programme: measuring ‘success’ and ‘improvement’ Local Government Studies 28 (2) pp. 55-68.

S.J. Martin (2002) ‘The challenge of Best Value: seven keys to successful reviews’ Local Governance. 28 (1) pp. 23-34.

S.J. Martin (2002) ‘Best Value: New Public Management or New Direction’ in The New Public Management, McLaughlin, K., Osborne, S. and Ferlie, E. (eds) pp. 129-140. (Sage: London).

S.J. Martin and H. Davis (2001) ‘Implications of the Best Value regime for independent living’ in Cost-effectiveness and independent living, A. O’Neill and J. Lewis (eds) pp. 37-62. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York).

S.J. Martin (2001) ‘Re-evaluating public service improvement: the early impacts of the Best Value regime’ Policy and Politics 30 (4) pp. 447-450.

S.J. Martin and H. Davis (2001) ‘What works and for whom? The competing rationalities of Best Value’, Policy and Politics 30 (4) pp. 465-475.

P. Foley and S.J. Martin (2000) ‘A new deal for community involvement?’ Policy and Politics 29 (4) pp. 479-491.

S.J. Martin (2000) ‘Implementing Best Value: local public services in transition’ Public Administration 78 (1) pp. 209-227.

S.J. Martin and A. Boaz (2000) ‘Public participation and citizen-centred local government: lessons from the Best Value and Better Government for Older People pilot programmes’ Public Money and Management 20 (2) pp. 47-54.

M. Geddes and S.J. Martin (2000) ‘The policy and politics of Best Value: currents, cross-currents and undercurrents in the new regime’ Policy and Politics 29 (3) pp. 377-394.

S.J. Martin and J.F. Hartley (2000) ‘Best Value for all? an empirical analysis of local capacity to implement Best Value principles’ Public Management Review 2 (1) pp. 15-27.

P. Foley and S.J. Martin (2000) ‘Perceptions of community led regeneration: an analysis of community and government viewpoints’ Regional Studies 34 pp. 783-787.