Academics have an opportunity to?exert more?influence in?policymaking with demand for robust evidence on?the rise, according to?the co-author of a?report that seeks a?¡°radical change in?the government¡¯s spending priorities¡±.

Lord Layard, whose Value for Money report released on 3?September seeks to?influence the Labour government¡¯s first spending review being held this autumn, said there was a?¡°widespread desire¡± to?use more evidence and analytical methods, particularly within the Civil Service.

Saying that politicians consult only their aides when making a decision on policy, the Labour economist argued that speaking to the people who generally know most about a?topic should become a greater part of the process.

¡°I have always felt that there was a huge gap between policymakers and the people who know most about a subject,¡± said Lord Layard, emeritus professor of economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

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¡°It is very difficult to see how to bridge that. At the moment, I?think we need a serious process of education for the new MPs.¡±

Produced by the LSE¡¯s Centre for Economic Performance, Value for Money argues that public money should be?allocated to?the policies that have the greatest effect on well-being, which, it says, would ensure that the government spends its money in a way that actually improves people¡¯s lives.

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This chimes with Sir Keir Starmer¡¯s promise, made when he was leader of the opposition, that ¡°with every pound spent on your behalf, we would expect the Treasury to weigh not just its effect on national income but also its effect on well-being¡±.

One of the policies highlighted in the report as having very high net benefits per pound is apprenticeships, which yield benefits worth 14?times their cost to the government.

¡°This constitutes a strong case for a major expansion of apprenticeship training,¡± the report says. ¡°But this is unlikely to happen without a major change in approach.

¡°In higher education, the objective since the 1960s has been to ensure a place for every qualified applicant. That could also be the objective for apprenticeships ¨C a guarantee that for people under 25 there should be enough places at levels?2 and?3 for every qualified applicant.¡±

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The cost of implementing such a guarantee is estimated in the report as being ?778?million, but Lord Layard said skills shortages for non-graduates were a key reason for the country¡¯s problems with low productivity and social mobility.

He said he did not see such a policy having a detrimental effect on higher education participation because skilling people in lower level apprenticeships might have a knock-on effect on the demand for vocational higher education.

¡°If people can find a relevant way of getting knowledge, they will want to go on expanding it. A?huge number of people turned off knowledge because it doesn¡¯t seem to be relevant.¡±

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com