Jonathan Webb

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Dr Jonathan Webb MSc BA

Principal Research Fellow

Summary

Jonathan is a Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Regional Economic Social Research (CRESR). He has a primary focus on housing research and co-ordinates the Centre's Housing and Place research cluster. Alongside his interest in housing, Jonathan has produced influential policy reports on topics ranging from industrial decarbonisation to regional economic policy. Jonathan’s academic research focuses on a plethora of housing and land issues, as well as an interest in policymaking and knowledge mobilisation within the policymaking process. The latter includes an interest in international and comparative politics. Alongside these thematic interests, Jonathan has extensive experience of deliberative research methods. He has applied these in a range of research projects and is interested in both the practical and theoretical implications of deliberation in relation to policymaking.

Jonathan Webb

About

Jonathan is currently leading on key aspects of CRESR’s contract work for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Previously, he worked as a Research Director at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) where he was based in the Centre for Deliberative Research. He continues to apply this methodological expertise in deliberative methods to his work and he maintains an interest in analysing the role that deliberation can play in improving policymaking. Prior to NatCen, Jonathan spent several years at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and IPPR North think tanks. Here, he led the IPPR’s work on housing and contributed to a range of policy reports. These covered topics such as regional governance, economic policy, housing quality and the net zero transition.

Jonathan’s academic research covers a range of topics. His current interests are focussed on the political economy of housing, spatial inequalities and comparative public policy. Jonathan obtained his PhD in politics in 2018 from the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield. His early post-doctoral research resulted in several publications. It focussed broadly on analysing policymaking processes and policy outcomes in relation to European Union policy in South East Europe. This background informs his contemporary interest in comparative public policy and politics.

Alongside his academic interests, Jonathan has extensive expertise in policy research and evaluation. This includes both theory-based evaluation and quasi-experimental design. He has designed and undertaken numerous impact and process evaluations. This includes evaluations that conform to the UK Government’s Green Book and Magenta Book guidance.

Jonathan’s opinion and research has been featured in both broadcast and print media over the years. This includes appearances on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News and Channel 5 News. His opinion and research have been quoted in the Guardian, thei, The Sunday Times, Press Association and EFE (Spanish international news agency).

Research interests

  • Political economy of housing
  • Spatial inequalities
  • Comparative politics and public policy (with a specific focus on Europe)
  • Territorial governance and devolution
  • Energy policy
  • Policy research and evaluation
  • Deliberative research methods

Research

2025-2025 Insecure lives and the policy disconnect, ESRC.

2025-2025 Research into social rent policies in Wales, Welsh Government.

Publications

Journal articles

Webb, J. (2024). Stable foundations: How can this Labour government fix the housing crisis? Renewal: A journal of social democracy, 32 (2 & 3), 125-134. https://journals.lwbooks.co.uk/renewal/vol-32-issue-2/abstract-9980/

Bhadani, A., Emden, J., Evans, J., Kearns, E., Mort, L., Statham, R., & Webb, J. (2022). Editorial. IPPR Progressive Review, 29 (3-4), 164-168. http://doi.org/10.1111/newe.12328

Webb, J. (2022). The ‘refugee crisis’ and its transformative impact on EU-Western Balkans relations. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 48 (6), 1363-1380. http://doi.org/10.1080/1369183x.2020.1851466

Parramore, S., & Webb, J. (2021). Rejecting the Neoliberal Balkan Land Grab Hypothesis: The Absence of the EU’s Transformative Power in Land Use Governance in Bosnia and Serbia. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 23 (2), 358-377. http://doi.org/10.1080/19448953.2020.1867804

Webb, J. (2018). Resolving contestation through discursive engagement: towards the contextual diffusion of EU rule of law norms? Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 18 (3), 401-418. http://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2018.1504187

Book chapters

Webb, J. (2023). The 'refugee crisis' and its transformative impact on EU-Western Balkans relations. In Bello, V., & Léonard, S. (Eds.) The Spiralling of the Securitisation of Migration in the European Union. Routledge

Reports

BIllingham, Z., Frost, S., Swift, R., & Webb, J. (2023). Parallel lives: Regionally rebalancing wealth, power and opportunity. IPPR and IPPR North. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/parallel-lives

Webb, J., Johns, M., Ahlsquist, D., Dixon, R., Lamb, D., Osbourne, L., & Wallis, E. (2023). Community Businesses and Climate Action. https://eprints.icstudies.org.uk/id/eprint/457/

Webb, J., Emden, J., & Gray, N. (2023). The hydrogen powerhouse?: Demystifying the North's hydrogen economy. IPPR North. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/the-hydrogen-powerhouse

Webb, J., Swift, R., & Qureshi, A. (2022). High standards: Developing a property improvement model for the private rented sector in Greater Manchester. IPPR North. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/high-standards-developing-a-property-improvement-model-for-the-private-rented-sector-in-greater-manchester

Webb, J., Qureshi, A., Frost, S., & Massey-Chase, B. (2022). Net zero places: A community-powered response to the climate crisis. IPPR North. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/net-zero-places

Webb, J., Johns, M., Roscoe, E., Giovannini, A., Qureshi, A., & Baldini, R. (2022). State of the North 2021/22: Powering northern excellence. IPPR North. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/state-of-the-north-2021-22-powering-northern-excellence

Bramley, G., Morris, M., Mort, L., Netto, G., Filip, S., & Webb, J. (2021). The scale, causes, and impacts of homelessness among EEA Citizens, Heriot-Watt University and IPPR. Crisis. https://www.crisis.org.uk/media/246343/eea-report_v3.pdf

Roscoe, E., Webb, J., & Nanda, S. (2021). Time to act: Understanding the impact of Covid-19 on disabled people in the north of England. IPPR. https://www.ippr.org/articles/time-to-act-understanding-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-disabled-people-in-the-north-of-england

Webb, J. (2021). Forging the future: A vision for northern steel’s net zero transformation. IPPR North. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/forging-the-future

Webb, J., Stone, L., & Hunter, J. (2021). The climate commons: How communities can thrive in a climate changing world. IPPR. https://www.ippr.org/articles/the-climate-commons

Webb, J., Emden, J., & Murphy, L. (2020). All hands to the pump: A home improvement plan for England. IPPR. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/all-hands-to-the-pump

Webb, J., & Murphy, L. (2020). Renting beyond their means: The role of living rent in addressing housing affordability. IPPR. https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/living-rent

Webb, J., Neesom, S., Johnson, C., & Tilley, H. (2019). The Value of Trade Unions in Wales. Wales Centre for Public Policy. https://www.wcpp.org.uk/publication/the-value-of-trade-unions-in-wales/

Webb, J., Parken, A., Hodges, H., & Mathias, M. (2018). Promoting Job Progression in Low Pay Sectors. Wales Centre for Public Policy. https://www.wcpp.org.uk/publication/promoting-job-progression-in-low-pay-sectors/

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