Charlotte Hoole, Jack Newman and Simon Collinson discuss their recent paper that shows a lack of decentralisation is limiting the capacity and capability of local institutions to devise and implement growth and development strategies important for locally-driven ‘levelling-up’ in England. In recent years, the UK has experienced increased economic and social inequalities. Of particular concern … Continue reading “How England’s Devolution Catch-22 Stands in the Way of Balanced Growth”
Author: Charlotte Hoole
How to Improve Regional Productivity Levers in England and Wales
Helen Tilley, Jack Newman and Charlotte Hoole discuss their recent paper on whether UK regions have the policy levers they need to improve productivity, exploring the link between devolution and productivity. This blog was first published on the Wales Centre for Public Policy blogsite. Much has been written about the UK’s productivity puzzle. If the … Continue reading “How to Improve Regional Productivity Levers in England and Wales”
International Women’s Week: Inequality Between Men and Women in the Workplace
Inequality between men and women in the workplace takes on many forms, including unequal pay, disparities in working hours and promotions, and differences in social norms and caring responsibilities. In celebration of International Women’s Week, Sara Hassan, Charlotte Hoole and Abigail Taylor discuss women in the workplace and how inequality can affect various factors like … Continue reading “International Women’s Week: Inequality Between Men and Women in the Workplace”
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””
Devolution and Levelling Up: Boon or Bane for the Region?
Charlotte Hoole discusses the levelling up agenda, what it means for devolution, and what opportunities it presents for the West Midlands. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2021. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It … Continue reading “Devolution and Levelling Up: Boon or Bane for the Region?”
The Complexity of Local Government in England: The West Midlands’ Rubik’s Cube
In our latest blog, Dr Charlotte Hoole unpicks the complex world of the local government systems and explains how the different tiers and authorities for each region inter-relate. Back in 2006, the then head of communications at the New Local Government Network was quoted in the Guardian as saying “the complexity of local government is … Continue reading “The Complexity of Local Government in England: The West Midlands’ Rubik’s Cube”
The Need for Greater Devolution in England to Respond to COVID-19
Welcome to REDI-Updates, a bi-annual publication which will get behind the data and translate it into understandable terms. West Midlands REDI staff and guest contributors will discuss various topics, with this first publication focusing on how inclusive growth can be a tool to tackle regional imbalances across the UK. In this article, Dr Charlotte Hoole … Continue reading “The Need for Greater Devolution in England to Respond to COVID-19”
Prosperity, Inclusivity and Sustainability Across UK Regions – WM REDI Policy Briefing
This policy briefing reports on a study to assess economic growth, inclusivity and sustainability across UK regions in terms of both current performance (in 2018) and change in performance (between 2013 and 2018). It is part of a larger, on-going (ESRC-funded) project on ‘Local Institutions, Productivity, Sustainability and Inclusivity Trade-offs’ (LIPSIT). We developed a regional … Continue reading “Prosperity, Inclusivity and Sustainability Across UK Regions – WM REDI Policy Briefing”
City-REDI Book Club – Global City Makers: Economic Actors and Practices in the World City Network
In the second edition of the City-REDI Book Club, Dr Charlotte Hoole reviews “Global City Makers: Economic Actors and Practices in the World City Network” by Michael Hoyler, Christof Parnreiter and Allan Watson. In an era of globalisation and rapid urbanisation, the city has become an important unit of analysis for understanding urban systems. This … Continue reading “City-REDI Book Club – Global City Makers: Economic Actors and Practices in the World City Network”
UK Regional Productivity Variations and What Might be Driving These
Over the past decade, the gap between the UK’s productivity performance and other OECD countries has been widening. This is due to unusually slow growth rates in UK productivity since 2010 in spite of rising employment, leading to what has been termed the UK’s ‘productivity puzzle’. Within the UK, there are also vast variations in … Continue reading “UK Regional Productivity Variations and What Might be Driving These”