James Duggan

Dr. James Duggan is a Research Fellow in the School of Childhood, Youth and Education Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University. His work focuses on exploring tensions between community-based and public sector organizing, with a particular interest in developing theoretical and practical alternatives for public organizing. He has led projects such as Loneliness Connects Us (funded by the Co-op Foundation) and Design Research Get Lost (AHRC-funded), which employ creative and co-productive methodologies. His research also examines public sector transformation, collaboration, leadership, and agile working practices.

Dr. Duggan holds a PhD from the University of Manchester (2012), supervised by Professors Mel Ainscow and Alan Dyson. His doctoral research examined collaborative culture initiatives in local authorities. He served as Co-PI for the Stockport Social Care Innovation Programme Evaluation (funded by DfE), analyzing organizational change in public services.

Key projects include the youth co-research project Loneliness Connects Us, which produced the immersive theatre performance 'Missing', and Sans Duty – Making Tax Visible, using design fiction to imagine fair tax systems. His work emphasizes participatory methods, critical analysis of neoliberal frameworks, and fostering youth agency in policy-making.

Dr. Duggan’s research outputs span journal articles, conference papers, and reports addressing loneliness, co-production methodologies, and public sector innovation. He has supervised doctoral students on topics like cooperative movements in education and architectural contexts of schooling.