Skip to main content
Kevin Morgan

Professor Kevin Morgan

(he/him)

Teams and roles for Kevin Morgan

Overview

I am Professor of Governance and Development in the School. My research interests revolve around four core themes:

  1. Innovation / Spatial Development
  2. Food / Sustainability/ Public Procurement
  3. Devolution / Governance/ Territorial Politics
  4. Foundational Economy / Community Enterprise / Wellbeing Agenda 

Research interests

What makes places tick? That's one of the common threads running through my research interests. It's why I'm interested in how different places - cities, regions, localities - govern themselves; how and why they develop in such different ways; and how the costs and benefits of development are distributed. My research has been supported by a wide range of sponsors, including the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council), the British Academy; European Commission; OECD; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/World Food Programme; Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Plunkett Foundation, and by governments and development agencies in and beyond the UK. 

Between 2013-2016 I was the Principal Investigator of a consortium of ten EU universities and two regional networks that won the FP7 award for Smart Specialisation, the EU's regional innovation policy for the 2014-2020 programming period.

Our ESRC-funded project (Delivering Sustainability: The Creative Procurement of School Food in Italy, the UK and the US) was rated "outstanding" and in 2013 it won the first ESRC award for outstanding impact on public policy in the UK.

Teaching

I currently teach on the MSc Urban and Regional Development course and the Masters in Public Leadership in Cardiff Business School when it is offered.

Public Engagement

  • Member of the Academy of the UN-sponsored School Meals Coalition (2024-)
  • Member of the European Commission's S4 Scientific Committee (2020-2023)
  • Member of the Cardiff Capital Region's CJC Transition Board (2021-2023)
  • Member of the Strategic Forum for Regional Investment in Wales (2021-)
  • Member of the OECD Team for the Multilevel Governance Review of Wales (2019-2021)
  • Member of the Innovation Advisory Council for Wales (2019-)
  • Member of the Welsh Government's Procurement Expert Panel (2020-21)
  • Member of the Independent Panel on Affordable Housing in Wales (2018-19)
  • Special Advisor to the EU Commissioner for Regional and Urban Policy (2015-2019)
  • Advisor to the Board of the Cardiff Capital Region (2013 -18)
  • Advisor to the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Welsh Government (2012-14)
  • Member of the European Commission's Advisory Group on Smart Specialisation (2011-2014)
  • Board Member of the UK Food Ethics Council (2008-2014)
  • Founding Chair of the Bristol Food Policy Council (2011-2015)
  • Board Member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs (2016-2021)
  • Board Member of Ystadau Cymru/Welsh Estates (2021-) 

News

On the food policy front my new book - Serving the Public: the good food revolution in schools, hospitals and prisons - was published by Manchester University Press in January 2025. Further details at:

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526180469/

As regards innovation, I am the Principal Investigator of an ESRC-funded project on Inclusive Innovation in UK City Regions, focusing on new urban innovation strategies in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester.

My Foundational Economy work continues to focus on public food provisioning and I was commissioined to produce a report - Values for Money: Public Sector Food Procurement in Wales - by the Welsh Government's Foundational Economy team. The report is available at:

https://indd.adobe.com/view/f76f7fee-3fd6-4e39-933e-7c564aa6393a

As regards my international work, I am a member of the Academy of the UN-sponsored School Meals Coalition, the aim of which is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to receive a healthy, nutritious meal in school by 2030. Further details at:

https://schoolmealscoalition.org

I am also one of the international advisors to the Food, Learning and Growing (FLOW) Partnership which consists of 35 partner organizations spanning 4 continents, a 7 year Research Partnership that aims to enhance sustainable food systems through research and collaboration. FLOW is led by Professor Alison Blay-Palmer at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. Further details at:

https://flowpartnership.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Publication

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007