Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The aim of the research was to examine the relative contribution of need, bid-quality and political factors to the success of bids made to the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) programme in England between 1994 and 1997. 1196 bid documents were collected from archive and other sources. Each was subjected to content analysis to measure numerous aspects of bid quality, after suitable checks of the coding frame and inter-coder reliability. Each bid was given a score on a set of need variables ultimately derived from Census data. Finally each bid was given a score on a set of political variables, reflecting how important the area the bid came from was electorally, and the ability of local MPs to lobby on behalf of the bid. Tobit regression models were built to explain variation in this, depending on need, bid-quality and political factors.

Main Topics:

The dataset contains information on 1196 bids - close to the universe of bids made over the four rounds of bidding studied. Four main groups of variables exist: measures of success/failure, derived from official records of the process; measures of bid quality, derived from the content analysis; measures of need, derived from census data; and measures of political factors relating to the bid. There are also case identifiers and some information on the local government units and electoral districts from which the bid was mounted.

No sampling (total universe)

information on all bid documents that could be recovered was coded. Extensive efforts were made to obtain these from Government Offices of the Regions and from a national archive held at INLOGOV. Some bid documents were missing, but the number was small in relation to those used, certainly under 5%.

Compilation or synthesis of existing material