Research projects

Well-being is a core policy priority in Wales under the Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015). It established Public Services Boards (PSBs) in each local authority area with statutory responsibility to co-ordinate the assessment and improvement of social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being. This research provides a new perspective on regional development by combining these…

This research will explore Welsh domiciled students’ decisions and transitions to higher education and their expectations and aspirations following undergraduate study. It will examine the extent to which considerations of employment opportunities in local and national contexts inform decisions and transitions to HE, and aspirations for work, study, and life upon graduation. It will also…

This research investigates the importance of place and space to communities, addressing key challenges around social exclusion and isolation, the effects and drivers of poverty, and community cohesion. The research will examine the development and evolution of warm hubs as places of social inclusion and community connectedness within Wales. Whilst prior exploratory research has suggested…

One of the core challenges for local economies is the transition to sustainable and green economies. Working with Environment Centre Wales, in partnership with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, we will conduct mapping and assessments of co-produced innovation in local economies linked to sustainable food and energy production, flooding prevention, responses to pollution, land…

Cultural capital is a resource for local and place-based development and Culture Based Development (CBD) is a framework that has been designed to elaborate measurement and empirical exploration of cultural capital as a micro-economic powered endogenous resource for regional and place-based development. Within this context, this research will explore the sources of cultural capital accumulation…