From Health Crisis to an Innovation-led Recovery: What Role for Universities?

On 2nd February, City-REDI held its first hybrid seminar with Tomas Ulrichsen, Director of the Policy Evidence Unit for University Commercialisation and Innovation (UCI) at the University of Cambridge. You can watch the video from the event below. Health Crisis to an Innovation-Led Recovery This seminar introduces the Research England-funded Policy Evidence Unit for University … Continue reading “From Health Crisis to an Innovation-led Recovery: What Role for Universities?”

Labour’s Plan to Put “The Right Powers in the Right Places”

In December 2022, the Labour Party published a new report which promised to decentralise political power in the UK by putting “the right powers in the right places”. Dr Charlotte Hoole and Dr Matt Lyons evaluate how Labour’s proposals differ from the current system and what it could mean for the West Midlands. In December … Continue reading “Labour’s Plan to Put “The Right Powers in the Right Places””

The Devil and the Detail: The Two Things Hiding Behind the UK Levelling Up Fund

Whilst the Levelling Up Fund provides much-needed support for local regions, Hannes Read discusses two issues with the programme. The patchwork delivery of funding and a lack of focus on how the funds are spent. The continued patchwork approach to regional economic development is the devil behind the Levelling Up Fund. Despite the roots of … Continue reading “The Devil and the Detail: The Two Things Hiding Behind the UK Levelling Up Fund”

Levelling Up So Far: Has Funding Gone to Areas Most in Need?

Alice Pugh summarises where Levelling Up funding has been spent so far, across both rounds of funding. In total across both rounds of the Levelling Up fund, £3.9bn has funded 216 projects. The aim is to understand whether funding was spent in the areas most in need of levelling up. Regional Analysis Across both funding … Continue reading “Levelling Up So Far: Has Funding Gone to Areas Most in Need?”

West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 17 February 2023

Recent international news has been dominated by a huge Turkey-Syria earthquake and by mounting tension between the USA and China regarding the shooting down of a balloon and unidentified flying objects in US airspace. In the UK the Bank of England raised interest rates once again in early February. Inflation is decreasing slightly but remains … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 17 February 2023”

What is Gross Value Added (GVA) and What Does it Tell Us About the Economy of the West Midlands and the UK?

Associate Professor Rebecca Riley and Professor Delma Dwight discuss GVA or Gross Value Added. What are its strengths and weaknesses as an economic measure, what does it tell us about the current state of the economy of the West Midlands and the UK and how can we improve our GVA? This podcast was inspired by … Continue reading “What is Gross Value Added (GVA) and What Does it Tell Us About the Economy of the West Midlands and the UK?”

Balancing the Grid: Understanding the National Grid’s Demand Flexibility Service

Annum Rafique looks at how the National Grid’s new initiative can help with our current energy crisis. This blog was originally published on the Birmingham Business School blog, you can view the original article here. What is the “demand flexibility service”?  In October 2022, the National Grid warned Britain that the country might face blackouts … Continue reading “Balancing the Grid: Understanding the National Grid’s Demand Flexibility Service”

How do Fertility Rates and Childcare Costs Play out in the UK Labour Market?

Abigail Taylor discusses fertility rates and childcare costs within the UK Labour Market comparing the findings internationally. This blog is part of a series looking at the UK Labour Market. See also: – Why are the Over-50s Leaving the Workforce?- Labour Market Flows and Future Participation Flows – What Are the Current Challenges in the … Continue reading “How do Fertility Rates and Childcare Costs Play out in the UK Labour Market?”

Why do Ethnic Pay Gaps Exist And How Can They be Closed? Evidence From UK-born Graduates

In this blog, Dr Kostas Kollydas sheds light on the factors influencing wage disparities by ethnicity in the UK labour market and discusses policy implications. Ethnicity as a Social Construct Ethnicity is a social organisation concept and is frequently used to classify people based on whether they share a perception of specific characteristics (such as … Continue reading “Why do Ethnic Pay Gaps Exist And How Can They be Closed? Evidence From UK-born Graduates”

Levelling Up: An Analysis of the Distribution of Funding in Round One

Alice Pugh provides a breakdown of the first round of Levelling Up funding. Which regions were the big winners, and who lost out in the first round? View a blog summarising round two funding. View more of our work on Levelling Up In Levelling Up (LUP) round one, 105 projects were funded, at a total … Continue reading “Levelling Up: An Analysis of the Distribution of Funding in Round One”