Relocation of Public Sector Workers: Evaluating a Place-based Policy

This paper assesses the local labour market impact of a UK public sector relocation initiative labeled the Lyons Review. The review resulted in the dispersal of more than 25,000 civil servants out of London and the South East towards other UK destinations. The objective of the paper is to detect whether inflows of public sector jobs have crowded out private sector activity or stimulated the local provision of additional jobs in the private sector. By applying a difference-in-difference approach, I evaluate the policy impact comparing areas in close proximity to a relocation site with areas further away. I find that the dispersal of public sector workers that followed the implementation of the Lyons Review had a positive impact on local services with a negative, but weaker, impact on manufacturing.