What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth

What What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth does

What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth (operating as What Works Growth) is an independent UK non-profit policy advisory centre, jointly hosted by the London School of Economics and the Centre for Cities since its establishment in October 2013. Its functional purpose is to synthesise impact evaluation evidence on local economic growth policies — drawing on quantitative studies from across all OECD countries and ranking them using the Maryland Scientific Methods Scale — and translate that evidence into practical guidance for UK policymakers. The centre's portfolio comprises evidence reviews, evidence briefings, evidence toolkits, case studies, how-to guides, and assessment tools such as the Maturity Matrix, all organised across 11 evidence topic areas (including apprenticeships, broadband, transport, innovation, and business advice) and several cross-cutting policy challenges (including economic inactivity, local growth plans, and net-zero).

The business model is institutional grant funding, not commercial revenue. The centre is funded by four UK government bodies — the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Transport — and is a member of the Cabinet Office's What Works Network. All outputs are provided free of charge: free training programmes (workshops, webinars, Lunch and Learn sessions), free downloadable resources via the website, and bespoke evaluation technical advice for both local and central government customers. Distribution occurs through a small core team of approximately 8 economists, researchers, and policy experts led by Director Prof. Henry Overman, supported by direct engagement, monthly newsletter, blog insights, YouTube webinars, Bluesky/LinkedIn, and an online Knowledge Hub forum.

The customer base is entirely UK public sector — local authorities, Mayoral and County Combined Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, devolved administrations, and central government departments. Reach indicators include engagement with 14 of 16 English Combined Authorities on economic inactivity and training delivered to over 500 government practitioners on logic models. There is no commercial product, pricing structure, or sales motion; sustainability depends entirely on continued UK government grant support.

Name

What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth

Legal name

What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth

Website

https://whatworksgrowth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

What Works Growth is a UK non-profit policy advisory centre jointly hosted by the London School of Economics and Centre for Cities. It synthesises impact evaluation evidence on local economic growth and delivers free evidence reviews, training, and bespoke evaluation support to UK local and central government policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advisory Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Evaluation & Impact Assessment Organizations (EDADADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting (EDADAIAM), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

Keywords

• Evidence-based policy research
• Local economic growth
• Impact evaluation support
• Policy advisory services
• Government training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. UK Government Institutional Funding: What Works Growth is jointly hosted by the London School of Economics and Centre for Cities and is funded by UK public bodies: the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Department for Business and Trade (formerly BEIS), and the Department for Transport. All services — support, training, and resources — are provided free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

What Works Growth produces systematic evidence reviews, briefings, toolkits, case studies, and "how to" guides that summarise impact evaluation evidence on local economic growth policies across 11 topics. It complements these resources with free training programs and bespoke evaluation support for UK local and central government policymakers, all delivered free of charge.

Product overview

What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth is a policy advisory organization (not a software product company) that provides evidence-based resources and services to help local and central government make growth policy more cost-effective. The core portfolio consists of Evidence Reviews (systematic summaries of impact evaluation research), Evidence Briefings (policy-focused frameworks), Evidence Toolkits (practical guides for specific interventions), Case Studies (evaluation examples), and 'How to' Guides (evaluation methodology guidance). These are supplemented by Training Programs (practical workshops on evaluation, data use, and evidence application), Bespoke Evaluation Support (technical advisory services), and assessment tools like the Maturity Matrix. Resources are organized by Evidence Topics (policy areas like apprenticeships, business advice, transport) and Policy Challenges (cross-cutting issues like net-zero and skills). All services are provided free of charge to government policymakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evidence Reviews
• Evidence Briefings
• Evidence Toolkits
• Case Studies
• 'How to' Guides
• Training Programs
• Bespoke Evaluation Support
• Maturity Matrix

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• London School of Economics (LSE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2013Joint host of What Works Growth alongside Centre for Cities. LSE provides academic rigour, research expertise, and institutional credibility. The partnership enables the centre to draw on LSE's economics faculty and Centre for Economic Performance for evidence synthesis and evaluation work.
• Centre for CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2013Joint host of What Works Growth alongside LSE. Centre for Cities provides policy expertise, UK-focused research capabilities, and operational support including hosting the organisation's London office. The partnership combines LSE's academic depth with Centre for Cities' urban policy focus.
• Cabinet Office / What Works NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhat Works Growth is a member of the What Works Network, coordinated by the Cabinet Office. The network comprises similar centres addressing different policy areas. Membership provides institutional alignment with the UK government's evidence-based policymaking agenda.
• Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in co-hosting workshops with What Works Growth for Mayoral Combined Authorities on enduring policy challenges such as economic inactivity. UPEN's Areas of Research Interest (ARI) Sub-Committee co-designed and co-facilitated the workshops.
• ONS LocalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative workshops on economic inactivity with What Works Growth and UPEN. ONS Local is providing follow-on support to address data-focused questions raised by MCA/CCA officers during the workshops.
• Institute for Employment StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative workshops on economic inactivity alongside What Works Growth, UPEN, and ONS Local. Contributed expertise on employment and skills issues to the workshop series for Mayoral Combined Authorities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• What Works Wellbeing: Sister centre within the UK What Works Network focused on wellbeing evidence synthesis. Directly comparable as a sibling government-funded evidence centre providing free evidence reviews, advice, and training to policymakers — same business model, same funding architecture, same customer base.
• Centre for Cities: Joint host of What Works Growth and one of the UK's leading urban economic research and policy organisations. Comparable as a research/policy intermediary producing evidence-based reports, briefings, and data on UK local economic performance for local and central government.
• Institute for Government: Independent UK think tank focused on improving how government works, producing research, analysis, and events for civil servants and ministers. Comparable as an evidence-producing, government-engaged intermediary using research to influence policy design and implementation.
• Resolution Foundation: UK think tank producing research on living standards, employment, and local economic outcomes. Comparable as a research-driven policy intermediary producing evidence-based reports on local economic issues for UK government and the public.
• New Economics Foundation (NEF): UK think tank producing economic research and policy proposals focused on inequality, local economies, and social outcomes. Comparable as a UK-based research/policy intermediary producing evidence-based guidance for policymakers on local economic and social policy.
• Institute for Employment Studies (IES): Independent UK research centre focused on employment, skills, and labour market policy. Direct partner in MCA workshops. Comparable as a research/evidence intermediary providing evaluation support, training, and analysis to UK government on workforce and economic development policy.

Broad incumbents

• Nesta: UK innovation foundation producing research and applied evidence on innovation, growth, and public policy. Comparable as a larger, broader-scope evidence/innovation intermediary that overlaps with growth-related evidence but is not specifically focused on local economic growth impact evaluation.
• RAND Europe: European arm of RAND providing policy research, evaluation, and analysis for government and foundations. Comparable as a research/evaluation provider for UK and EU governments, with overlapping impact-evaluation service offerings, but operating at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Bennett Institute for Public Policy (Cambridge): University-hosted research institute producing evidence-based policy research on economic and social policy. Comparable as an academic-embedded policy research intermediary, with overlap on local economic growth and evidence-based policymaking but with a broader thematic remit.

Regional players

• Local Government Association (LGA): National membership body for UK local authorities, providing research, guidance, and lobbying on behalf of councils. Comparable as a UK-local-government-facing knowledge and evidence intermediary, with overlapping customer base but operating as a sector membership body rather than an independent research centre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@whatworkscentreforlocaleco8422
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/what-works-growth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth