The current Crook Public Service Fellows are:

Claudia Chwalitsz

Claudia is a policy researcher at Policy Network. For the past two years, she has been leading the Policy Network and Barrow Cadbury Trust project on ‘Understanding the Populist Signal.’ This work has focused on the political drivers of populism – disillusionment with political parties, politicians and elections. It considers if this discontentment can be alleviated through democratic innovations that rely on the principles of random selection and deliberation, and whether involving citizens more directly in political decision-making can help rebuild trust in politics over the long term.

Claudia’s other research concerns welfare state revision and renewal in post-crisis Europe, more specifically how states  can alter the underlying distribution of market outcomes to rely less on traditional post hoc redistribution. She is co-editor with Patrick Diamond of The Predistribution Agenda: Tackling inequality and supporting sustainable growth (I.B. Tauris, forthcoming July 2015).

Claudia’s Fellowship at the Crick Centre will continue her research into democratic innovations, ideally by piloting a citizens’ assembly.

 

Tom Healey

Tom Healey joined the House of Commons Service as a fast-streamer in 1993 and has divided his career between departmental select committees, scrutinising the work of government departments, and procedural work in the Chamber and legislation services. From 2008 to 2011 he was seconded to the Cabinet Secretariat as Parliamentary Adviser. He returned to the Commons as Clerk of the Home Affairs Committee, and is about to take on a new role in relation to the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster, a major project which could involve the temporary relocation of one or both Houses.

Tom is collaborating with Ian Marsh of the Australian National University and Matthew Flinders on a research project which examines the ways in which Parliamentary committees engage with their various publics. The research will form the basis of a report to the committees themselves, and a training programme for committee staff.

 

Sarah Lyall

Sarah Lyall is a researcher and policy analyst with a focus on social policy, sustainability and participation. She has been working with the New Economics Foundation (NEF) since December 2011. Her research covers social security, credit and debt, experiences of poverty and inequality in the UK, local responses to austerity and Fairness Commissions. She currently holds a Public Service Fellowship at the University of Sheffield to research the rationalities behind devolution to cities and regions in England.

Sarah’s research project with the Crick Centre is called The Pursuit of Devolution and will identify the differing visions of decentralisation and devolution in England emerging from political parties, local government and civil society organisations in order to instigate a debate on what is to be achieved through devolution and what is achievable. Findings from the research will be available from November 2015.

 

Sharon Squires

Sharon is focusing on emerging trends and approaches to urban leadership and governance, considering the impact of devolution and  concepts around the Relational State with the need to develop more innovative and effective  ways for local organisations and citizens to work together to improve outcomes for a city.

Sharon is utilising her knowledge and experience as Director of Sheffield First Partnership. In this role she works with leaders from across the public, private, voluntary, faith and academic sectors, seeking to build to build the focus on the city as well as their organisations. She therefore has extensive experience of place based collaborative leadership and policy development. 

Sharon moved to Sheffield in the 1980s to work as a Probation Officer and then relocated to Nottingham to work as a Senior Probation Officer in Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City. She joined Derby City Council in 1999 to set up Derby Youth Offending Service and was promoted to Director of Derby Stronger and Safer Communities department, responsible for a wide range of services for local communities. Sharon also worked for the Home Office, leading strategic change programmes, before coming back to work in Sheffield in April 2010.