Summary information
Study title
Facilitating Policy Change for Low Carbon Mobility: Comparative Analysis of Two City Regions in England, UK (Birmingham and Cambridge), 2021
Creator
Reardon, L, University of Birmingham
Nochta, T, University of Birmingham
Study number / PID
857687 (UKDA)
10.5255/UKDA-SN-857687 (DOI)
Data access
Restricted
Series
Not available
Abstract
A low carbon mobility system is integral to energy demand reduction and essential if the UK wants to meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2050. However, despite the UK having legally binding targets for over a decade, emissions from transport have grown and the sector is now the UK’s largest emitter, accounting for 28% of UK emissions. Therefore urgent and significant policy change is required. However the majority of transport scholarship focuses on technological ‘fixes’ and societal issues (such as behaviour change) for enabling low carbon mobility. Questions of governance – the process through which networks of actors interact to shape outcomes – have largely been ignored.
In order to address this research gap, this project combines methodological approaches from political science and engineering to provide an innovative systemic analysis of the low carbon mobility challenge, placing governance front and centre. Through interpretive network and problem analysis, the project compares the multilevel governance of two city regions in England, UK: Birmingham and Cambridge.
The study has two key research objectives:
1) To identify and explain the role that multilevel governance plays in shaping local policy responses towards low carbon mobility; making a significant interdisciplinary contribution to knowledge at the nexus of political science, transport studies and energy research.
2) To identify critical governance interventions that are required to support transformative policy change towards low carbon mobility. Providing support to key stakeholders.
The findings identify the role multilevel governance plays in influencing local level policy responses towards low carbon mobility. In doing so, the project provides insights into the ways current UK governance arrangements can be supported to enable more effective local policy responses towards low carbon mobility.Urgent and significant change in transport policy is required if the UK wants to meet its...
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Keywords
Methodology
Data collection period
06/05/2021 - 01/12/2021
Country
United Kingdom
Time dimension
Not availableAnalysis unit
Individual
Organization
Universe
Not availableSampling procedure
Not availableKind of data
Text
Data collection mode
44 Semi-Structured interviews were conducted: 28 in Birmingham City Region and 16 in Cambridge City Region. Participants were identified through desk-based research and selected due to their knowledge of sustainability mobility policy issues and/or due to their position in the governance network of the case area as relates to mobility. Therefore, participants were identified and recruited due to their professional role, for example as a local authority officer, or as a policy lead for a charity. Therefore, all participants were over 18 and primarily drawn from organisations within each case study area. The majority of interviews included one participant, but in a couple of instances interviews included two participants (where for example, participants worked closely together and requested a joint interview).Due to covid-19 restrictions in place at the time of data collection, all interviews were conducted online either Via Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meets, depending on participant preference. On average, interviews lasted for one hour. Where informed consent was provided by the participant, interviews were recorded and later transcribed by a professional transcription service.An interview protocol/schedule was used to structure each interview, with questions drawn from the study’s analytical framework and desk-based research. The nature of semi-structured interviews meant that the interviewer was responsive to prompts from the participant in shaping the follow-up questions asked.Four participatory causal loop mapping workshops were held, two in each case study area, with one month between the first and second workshop in each case area. Up to seven participants were involved in each workshop. Participants were identified through desk-based research and selected due to their knowledge of sustainability mobility policy issues and/or due to their position in the governance network of the case area as relates to mobility. Therefore, participants were identified and recruited due to their professional role, for example as a local authority officer, or as a policy lead for a charity. Therefore, all participants were over 18 and primarily drawn from organisations within each case study area. The same participants who participated in the first workshop were invited to attend the second workshop, with some drop-off in participation between the first and second workshop in each case area. Due to covid-19 restrictions in place at the time of data collection, all workshops were conducted online via Zoom. Each workshop was two hours in duration and structured using a participatory mapping script embedded into a PowerPoint presentation to structure each workshop. Consent was gained from each participant to record each workshop. These recordings were then professionally transcribed at a later date.
Funding information
Grant number
EP/R035288/1
Access
Publisher
UK Data Service
Publication year
2025
Terms of data access
The UK Data Archive has granted a dissemination embargo. The embargo will end on 17 Mar 2026 and the data will then be available in accordance with the access level selected.
Related publications
Not available