Home » Research Projects » Exploring the Impact of Public Services on Quality of Life Indicators
Feeling better now?
Do public services have an impact on our quality of life?
To most people awareness of public services is local, direct and immediate: do I feel safe on the streets or in my home? Is the school providing my child with the education they need? Will the doctor or hospital look after me when I’m hurt or sick? Public services are expected to make a major contribution to our quality of life. Yet it is not necessarily straightforward to trace the direct link between the specific actions of the public services and their impact on quality of life. For example, what are the contributions of the various public service organisations to citizens’ perceptions of personal safety?
This study take as its starting point ten themes of quality of life indicators drawn up by the Audit Commission in England, in areas such as housing, community safety, education and health. However, these individual indicators are heavily inter-reliant: it is not only increased health-care provision, but also better housing, improved safety and enhanced educational opportunities that have an impact on the health and well-being of a community. The aims of this study are to gain an understanding of the ways in which public service organisations influence indicators of quality of life at a local level, and to make quantitative estimates of that contribution.
What the research means for policymakers and the wider community
This study will provide policymakers at both national and local levels with useful new insights to help shape and assess the performance of public services. This study will help to:
- clarify the appropriate degree of accountability for public service organisations;
- focus more clearly on the overlap and links between different organisations;
- provide information on the degree to which public service organisations’ ability to deliver performance improvements is actually something within their own control;
- provide insights into where best to deploy resources based on an understanding of the impact of local public sector organisations.
Research Methods
This study will assemble and analyze a comprehensive dataset (based on quality of life indicators, various measures of deprivation and some additional performance indicators) of key public services at a local level in England. The dataset will be organised in a ‘hierarchical’ structure which allows analysis at different levels of geographical aggregation, and allows us to estimate the affects on quality of life indicators of alternative public service investments (for instance improving housing as against additional health care investment).
