Emma Davies reflects on her time as a City-REDI Intern.
As a first-year undergraduate student, joining City-REDI as an intern marked my first experience working within a professional research environment. It was an exciting opportunity to engage with experts and observe how research and evidence inform policy – an area that has always interested me due to its role in addressing complex, real-world issues.
One idea that resonated early on was the description of research as “iterative” and “collaborative”. My role was at the foundation of this process: conducting desk review reading on Birmingham City Council’s new Shaping Birmingham’s Future project (SBFT). SBFT aims to unite the council, partners and citizens to co-produce and meet the city vision of a thriving economy and greater opportunities for all.
Under the guidance of Sara Hassan, we created my project ‘Power in partnership’. This led me to explore the structure and function of partnership boards, with particular focus on the power dynamics between local authorities and partners. My reading became increasingly centred on how governance models can rebalance influence. This is especially resonant in Birmingham when facing the task of fostering more equitable, collaborative decision-making and reducing the council’s perceived overarching control. Throughout the studentship, the positive impact of participatory leadership was frequently referenced. I hope Birmingham City Council continues to build on this foundation, moving beyond collaboration as not just a theoretical ideal but practically embedded into practices.
Following on from this, I assisted Susana Higueras Carillo in coding 4 interviews with council officers and strategic partners which will contribute towards her report for the council. The aim was to better understand stakeholders’ experiences of participatory processes, including the opportunities and challenges of the SBFT partnership model. After coding, I participated in discussions of recommendations for the council centred around how to be more accommodating to the public’s needs and amplify voices from marginalised communities. I think that Birmingham’s rich cultural diversity is an asset that should be harnessed and integrated into policymaking, as current approaches sometimes fail to reflect resident’s lived experience. Many interviewees expressed frustration at the lack of continuity and coordination in engagement efforts. Consistently embedding a wide range of people’s perspectives and avoiding treating them as add-ons and tick-boxes could counteract this by signalling a genuine commitment to inclusive governance. I’m proud to have played a small part in the development of the report that may ultimately shape future policymaking in the city.
Amongst the SBFT’s priorities, I was drawn to the vision for young people: the goal for Birmingham to become Europe’s leading city for young people and tackling youth unemployment. It became apparent to me that youth voices are difficult to implement, despite policies directly impacting them. Young people like me often face limits in contributing meaningfully – whether it’s because of limited networks, short timeframes of experience and ad hoc events or lack of formal pathways to participate in civic dialogue. It would be great to see approaches increasingly involving the youth to reflect the full diversity of Birmingham and offer fresh insights into complex urban challenges. So, I believe building on youth participation is a necessity for creating inclusive, future-oriented governance.
In addition to my work on the SBFT project, I also got a taster of City-REDI’s broader work. I attended the Quarterly City-REDI review meeting where the discussion was based on the teams’ impact statements and planning for the future. Conversations included projects on funding flows, international research collaborations and educational resources now used in GCSE and A Level Geography. I also observed a discussion on the use of AI in research and the opportunities but also precautions that come along with AI usage. These conversations expanded my understanding of how interdisciplinary and locally and globally relevant the team’s work is. It was definitely eye-opening to learn about the complex processes that go into conducting research and how different research interlinked.
Overall, this internship has been a valuable experience for me. I’ve gained insight into the structure of local governance, practical research methods and the importance of inclusive policymaking. This is particularly resonant alongside my Human Geography degree, my interests for current affairs and my desire to continue working towards making meaningful contributions to society.
This blog was written by Emma Davies, Intern at City-REDI, University of Birmingham.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this analysis post are those of the authors and not necessarily those of City-REDI, WMREDI or the University of Birmingham.