Explores the resurgence of place-based policy - the importance of place and its potential to enhance the prosperity and wellbeing of Australians and particularly Queenslanders. Our expert presenters canvassed the opportunities that locally-focussed initiatives present for economic development, participation and reform, but also the tensions and dilemmas that they pose for policy-making and service delivery - particularly between the centre and the frontline.

1. Place-based policies ride again
Paul Burton
Director, Cities Research Centre
Griffith University
26 September 2016

2. Long tradition
of area-based
initiatives in
British urban
policy since
1960s

3. The allure of the ABI

4. targeted to areas of greatest
need..
so minimal wastage

5. the ability to focus various strands
of policy on multi-faceted
problems

6. the promise of the pilot
…the chance to learn

7. The problems of ABIs

8. the ecological fallacy

9. the bureaucratic challenges of
policy and service coordination

10. the difficulties of learning from
these pilots…

11. counterfactual:
what would have happened
anyway?

12. confound:
isolating the impact of your
initiative from others

13. contextual:
what was the starting point…for
measuring improvement

14. contiguity:
capturing the spill-over effects &
determining shadow effects from
beyond the area

15. combinations:
judging which combinations work
well and which don’t

16. change:
policies and programs are rarely
stable over time

17. Place-based policies are scaleable:
federal/national
state
metro-regional
local (LGA)
neighbourhoods/suburb

18. Conclusion

19. place based policies remain popular but
continue to present a host of challenges
if they are to be as successful
as we would like them to be

20. References
Bradford, M. and Robson, B. (1995) ‘An Evaluation of Urban Policy’, in Hambleton, R.
and Thomas, H. (Eds) Urban Policy Evaluation: Challenges and change, London: Paul
Chapman.
Home Office review of ABIs, available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218135832/http:/rds.homeoffice.go
v.uk/rds/pdfs04/rdsolr5304.pdf

21. www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-sciences/cities-research-centre
p.burton@griffith.edu.au
0431 564 403