Economic growth is the primary mission of the current UK government, with more people in good jobs, higher living standards and productivity growth. Yet traditional economic development approaches have been questioned in academic and policy debates about how inclusive and sustainable economic performance can be achieved across the UK. A recent paper in Urban Studies … Continue reading “Facing up to the Foundational Economy”
Tag: policy
Report Spotlight: Unlocking Procurement Insights
In a new series of blogs, we will be reviewing the current and historical work of City-REDI. In this latest blog, a recent study by Annum Rafique (University of Birmingham) and Pei-Yu Yuan (University of Manchester) delves into how text mining can be harnessed to analyse procurement contracts, offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders. … Continue reading “Report Spotlight: Unlocking Procurement Insights”
Project Spotlight: Digital Skills Demand and Shortages and Their Impact on the UK Regions
In a new series of blogs, we will be reviewing the current and historical work of City-REDI. In the latest blog, we look at Dr Hunajia Ma, Dr Matthew Lyons, Dr Konstantinos Kollydas and Professor Anne Green’s work on the shortage of digital skills in the UK. In an era of rapid technological transformation, digital … Continue reading “Project Spotlight: Digital Skills Demand and Shortages and Their Impact on the UK Regions”
When will the UK hit ‘Peak Car’?
New car purchases have fallen since their peak in 2016 and driving licenses are falling amongst the young. In this blog, Matt Lyons, Kurt Kratena and Sara Hassan consider the question when will the UK reach peak car? People are driving less Figures from the DfT (Figure 1) show that the proportion of adults holding … Continue reading “When will the UK hit ‘Peak Car’?”
All Change – Policy Ideas for the Labour Government
With the general election now concluded, City-REDI reflects on our research to see what ideas we can draw out for the Labour government. Competitive funding is bad for places Back in 2022, we looked at levelling up in an edition of REDI-Updates. In drawing together all the lessons we learnt from understanding and measuring levelling … Continue reading “All Change – Policy Ideas for the Labour Government”
How Do We Know When a Place Has Levelled Up?
Maryna Ramcharan addresses the methodological challenges in determining when a place has levelled up. The Levelling Up White Paper brought together a wide range of policies and programmes happening across government, each with its own monitoring frameworks and outcome/output targets. In the Levelling Up analysis released recently, we use a set of metrics and Sustainable … Continue reading “How Do We Know When a Place Has Levelled Up?”
REDI-Updates: How Does the Cost-Of-Living Crisis Impact People’s Health and Well-Being?
The latest edition of REDI-Updates is out now – providing expert data insights and clear policy guidance. In this edition, the WMREDI team investigates what factors are contributing to the cost-of-living crisis and the impact it is having on households, businesses, public services and the third sector. We also look at how the crisis in … Continue reading “REDI-Updates: How Does the Cost-Of-Living Crisis Impact People’s Health and Well-Being?”
The LPIP Hub: Can Productivity Bring Around the Change We Need in Places?
Rebecca Riley recently attended an RSA Urban Futures Roundtable looking at the potential of the UK’s cities. In a series of blogs, Rebecca reflects on the challenges facing places in building regenerative economies. This blog is for the Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub which launched early this year. The Hub seeks to address nationwide issues … Continue reading “The LPIP Hub: Can Productivity Bring Around the Change We Need in Places?”
WMREDI Policy Seminar: Challenges and Opportunities for Business Growth
WMREDI keeps a finger on the pulse of the biggest trends, opportunities and challenges facing the West Midlands economy. In June 2023, WMREDI held a series of policy seminars at The Exchange, in Centenary Square, Birmingham, to bring the most up-to-date information and insights to inform policymakers and business leaders’ decision-making. Our first policy seminar … Continue reading “WMREDI Policy Seminar: Challenges and Opportunities for Business Growth”
Boosting and Measuring Regional Innovation, Adoption, and Pan-University Partnerships
On 28th June, WMREDI held a hybrid seminar with Dr Helen Turner and Tyler Rickard to discuss innovation policy and pan-university innovation partnerships. This seminar gave an overview of the big challenges facing innovation policy: measuring and boosting the adoption and diffusion of innovations. Tyler Rickard outlined how innovation policies are adopted and used to … Continue reading “Boosting and Measuring Regional Innovation, Adoption, and Pan-University Partnerships”