
Dr Andrew Flynn


Andrew's principal research interests have been in the making and delivery of policy on sustainable development, the implementation of policy and its evaluation.
As part of the ESRC funded BRASS research centre I am involved in work on food, regulation and sustainability. As part of this programme of research I have also worked on the implications for sustainable development of innovation in the food system. This work was funded from October 2002 - June 2005, by the ESRC and involved collaboration with Professor Ken Green of Manchester Business School). The project was titled Technological Transformations in Food Production and Consumption Systems. Amongst key objectives for the project were to a) produce cases of technological innovation in a range of food types which look at food production, distribution and consumption as a 'system' and b) to identify which technologies are critical for determining the sustainability/unsustainability of Food Consumption and Production Systems.
Analysing the assumptions within the ecological footprint model and evaluating its potential contribution to policy development. The work has been funded by BIFFAWARD for the period 2003-5 (and is now being funded by the BRASS Centre). The work has contributed to the project on Reducing Wales' Ecological Footprint and produced an ecological footprint for the city of Cardiff and led to novel applications of the footprint technique, for example, to the FA Cup Final.
The third theme has been to asses the relationship between patterns of governance and sustainable development. More specifically, the work has focused on the role of the Welsh Assembly Government since it has a novel duty to promote sustainable development in all of its activities. As well as analysing the extent to which internal processes have been reshaped within the Assembly to take account of its sustainability responsibilities, work has examined how the Assembly has sought to engage its partners, such as local government in its sustainability agenda, and also the relationship between UK government and the Assembly. The latter work has been published by the Sustainable Development Commission as Aiming Higher.
Andrew Flynn is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Policy and Planning. He has a background in policy analysis and environmental geography. His principal research interests have been in the making and delivery of policy on sustainable development, the implementation of policy and its evaluation. In exploring the dynamics of policy and regulation he paid particular attention to the food system. His work on food supply chains and technological innovations in the food system have provided insights into the relationships between the state and key economic interests and how these have led to new patterns of regulation. This in turn, has helped to inform work on environmental regulation, particularly in relation to the role of supply chains.
He is currently engaged in three research areas as an Associate Member of the ESRC Centre forBusiness Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS). These are: food regulation and sustainability; sustainable innovation in food consumption and production systems; and analyses of ecological footprinting. He is also working on the implications for sustainable development for patterns of governance at different spatial scales.
Andrew is Course Director of the MSc in Sustainability, Planning and Environmental Policy, Co-Editor of the Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, and a member of the Defra Advisory Group on SCP evidence.
BA (Hons) in Policy Making and Administration, (1982)
PhD, University of London, (1989)
Senior Lecturer, School of City and Regional Planning, Cardiff University, (1998 - Present)
Lecturer in Environmental Planning and Policy, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Cardiff, (1995 - 1998)
Lecturer in Environmental Policy, School of Geography and Earth Resources, The University of Hull, (1991 - 1995)
Member of the Defra Advisory Group on SCP evidence.
External Examiner for MA in Food Policy, City University.
Environmental Policies and Planning, (BSc year 2, module leader).
Issues in Local Government, (BSc 2, module leader).
Environmental Assessment, (MSc, module leader).
Corporate Environmental Management, (MSc, module leader).
Environmental Management in Practice, (MSc, module leader).
Course Director, MSc in Sustainability, Planning and Environmental Policy.
Chair of Marketing and Recruitment Committee.
Member of Teaching Committee.
Co-Editor of the Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning.