Research projects
The Impact of judicial decisions on the quantity and delivery of public
services
Director: Professor Maurice Sunkin
Researcher: Dr Kerman Calvo Funder: ESRC
This interdisciplinary research project aims to further our understanding of
the impact of public law, including human rights, on the quality, performance
and delivery of public services, and thus on public welfare, over time. In
particular, the project will look at ways in which use of the courts and
judicial decisions influence the quality of public services and the extent to
which litigation matters to those delivering services at the local level and the
public. The growth in litigation culture has been widely recognised as one
of the most significant features of the past few decades and the implications of
these developments on government are widely considered to have been
considerable.
Through a comparative analysis of different public authorities and different
areas of service delivery over time, using both qualitative as well as
quantitative methods, the research will analyse the impact of public law on
decision making in the local government sector.