Dr Peter Watt

Reader in Public Sector Economics

Institute of Local Government Studies

Contact details

Telephone +44 (0)121 414 4983

Email p.a.watt@bham.ac.uk

Institute of Local Government Studies
School of Government and Society
Muirhead Tower
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham,
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Research

Specialisms

  • Scrutiny of finance and budgeting
  • Comprehensive Area Assessment
  • Economics of contracting and procurement
  • Local government finance and international comparisons
  • Public sector efficiency and performance management
  • Financial management
  • Public choice theory
  • Organisational review
  • Risk management and quantitative techniques, statistics and econometrics

Current and recent projects

  • Evaluation of LinkAge Plus for the Department for Work and Pensions
  • Back Office Efficiency for the Audit Commission
  • Gershon Efficiency for CLG
  • Work on Local Government Finance for the County Councils Network
  • Evaluation of local government procurement agenda for CLG
  • Work on Strategic Service Delivery Partnerships for LogicaCMG
  • Quinquennial Financial Management and Policy Review of the Audit Commission

Publications

Watt, P.A. (2006) 'Principles and Theories of Local Government', Economic Affairs 26.1, March 2006, pp 4-10

Watt P (2005) 'Information, Cooperation and Trust in Strategic Service Delivery Partnerships', Public and Policy and Administration, 20.3, Autumn 2005, pp 106-123

King D, Watt P (2005) Options for Local Government Finance – an Economic Approach, County Councils Network, pp 36. This is available on the County Council Network website (PDF opens in a new window)

Watt P (2004) 'Financing Local Government', Local Government Studies 4, Winter 2004, pp 609-623

Watt P (2003) 'Voluntary Roads and Street', Economic Affairs

, June 2003, pp 3-10

ISSN 0265-0665

 

Fender J, Watt P, (2002) 'Should Central Government Seek to Control the Level of Local Authority Expenditures?' Fiscal Studies

23.2, June 2002, pp 265-285

ISSN 0143-5671

 

Watt P (2002) 'Local Government Capital Expenditure in England' in Dafflon B (ed) Local Public Finance in Europe: Balancing the Budget and Controlling the Debt, Edward Elgar, pp 257 – 275

Watt P, Delay S (2000) Quinquennial Financial Management and Policy Review of the Audit Commission, Stage II, June 2000, London, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Watt P, Fender J (1999) 'Feasible changes in the UK controls on local government expenditure', Public Money and Management 19.3, July-September 1999, pp. 17 - 22, reprinted in LGIU (2000) Managing the Public’s Money: A Local Perspective, Local Government Information Unit Special Briefing 56, January 2000, pp 21-32

Watt P (1996) Local Government Principles and Practice: A Text for Risk Managers, Witherby (for the Institute of Risk Management), London, pp 16

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