Public Policy and Professional Practice

Steve Cropper is Professor of Management and Director of the MBA (Education). He is a member of the core academic teams for the MBA (Health Executive), the Masters in Professional Leadership and Management, and Professional Doctorates in Health and in Education.

 He is a Visiting Professor at Strathclyde University and an external examiner at the Open and Durham Universities. Academic Adviser to Partners in Paediatrics, a regional association of children’s health services providers, Steve was inaugural Chair of the NHS Research for Patient Benefit Grants Committee for the West Midlands (2007-2011), and he chairs the Governance Committee of an Educational Partnership (2011- ). At Keele, Steve was inaugural Director of the Research Institute for Public Policy and Management (2005-2009).

Steve Cropper’s research interests are in

• the organization and governance of public services,
• inter-organisational relations – partnerships, alliances, networks, and
• public and community engagement in public policy and public services.

These are reflected in long-term projects funded by central and local agencies to evaluate and support a) partnership as a means of addressing health inequalities and promoting community health and wellbeing and b) the improved organisation of children’s health services through the development of managed clinical networks.

Doctoral projects include:

An exploration of value creation and realization in managed clinical networks: a comparison between voluntary and mandated networks – Usman Zafar

The Feasibility of Clinical Networks in Nigeria – Tarry Asoka

Capturing intellectual capital in an health services organization – Sue Molesworth

Exploring investigation practices and the management of Serious Untoward Incidents in NHS Community and Mental Health Services – Aly Hulme

The Dynamics of Community Participation: Evidence from Practice – Ken Mawomo

With Mark Ebers (University of Koln) and Peter Smith Ring (Loyola Marymount University), Steve is currently working on a five-volume ‘Major Work’ commissioned by Sage publishers, which brings together published papers that represent the development of research into Inter-organizational Relations, particularly as reflected in organization studies, management studies and public administration.

Steve Cropper’s  teaching focuses on aspects of organisation, management and leadership for professionals in public services, including organisational behaviour and development, strategic management, management science and research methods.