Prof James Downe

James is a Reader in Public Management and Director of the Centre for Local & Regional Government Research at Cardiff Business School.  He has more than fifteen years’ experience of managing large-scale evaluations of public policy.  His current research interests are in local government performance regimes, political accountability, public trust and the ethical behaviour of local politicians. 

He was a member of the UK Government’s Expert Panel on local governance and currently sits on the Welsh Government’s Public Service Scrutiny Reference Group.  James is a trustee of CaST Cymru – a charity aiming to make a difference to children and their families through tackling inequality and building social inclusion. 

James became an Independent Member of the Standards and Ethics Committee in November 2013 and was appointed Vice-Chair on 21 October 2014