Working with Long Covid, The Case for Better Evidence and Knowledge in the Workplace

A new report from the TUC and the charity Long Covid Support reveals as many as two-thirds of UK workers with long Covid have faced unfair treatment. Based on the work of City-REDI and her own personal experience, Rebecca Riley reflects on their findings and reccomendations. This blog was originally posted on the College for Social … Continue reading “Working with Long Covid, The Case for Better Evidence and Knowledge in the Workplace”

What is Next for Levelling Up?

Rebecca Riley recently appeared on a panel session hosted by The Policy Institute at Kings College London. In this blog, she discusses how Levelling Up should be about giving people the capacity, confidence, and courage to drive change. This article was first posted on the UK in a Changing Europe blog. It isn’t a new … Continue reading “What is Next for Levelling Up?”

“I Blame the Green Book”- Why has Guidance Become the Scape Goat of Public Funding Decisions like Levelling Up?

Rebecca Riley outlines some of the misconceptions around the use of the Green Book. As part of the Y-PERN conference held recently, I had a slot on a session about the Green Book, partly because I chair the Green Book User Network Steering Group, but also because City-REDI does a lot of work helping partners … Continue reading ““I Blame the Green Book”- Why has Guidance Become the Scape Goat of Public Funding Decisions like Levelling Up?”

International Women’s Day: Are Women Holding Back Their Careers to Fit Gender Norms?

Rebecca Riley discusses whether or not women hold back in their career plans to fit gender norms and if they feel uncomfortable earning more than their partner or male counterparts. This blog is part of an International Women’s Day series. The World Value Survey, says 36% of Americans agree with the statement “if a woman earns … Continue reading “International Women’s Day: Are Women Holding Back Their Careers to Fit Gender Norms?”

Shedding Light on Productivity in the West Midlands

Rebecca Riley discusses a new report examining productivity in the West Midlands. The report is written by Melisa Wickham and is in collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority. This report focuses on labour productivity – which measures how much output is produced per unit of labour input. There are varying measures of labour input, … Continue reading “Shedding Light on Productivity in the West Midlands”

Why are the Over-50s Leaving the Workforce? – Labour Market Flows and Future Participation Flows

Rebecca Riley takes a look at some of the factors behind the over-50s leaving work and what this means for the UK labour market. This blog is part of a series looking at the UK Labour Market. See also: – How do Fertility Rates and Childcare Costs Play out in the UK Labour Market? – … Continue reading “Why are the Over-50s Leaving the Workforce? – Labour Market Flows and Future Participation Flows”

Does the Computer say yes to Levelling Up? Will ChatGPT Replace the Policy Wonk?

Rebecca Riley goes head to head with a chatbot to see if it can answer any of the big questions about regional inequality in the UK. ChatGPT is the latest and potentially impressive artificially intelligent chatbot yet. It was released at the beginning of December, and in just five days hit a million users. I narrowly … Continue reading “Does the Computer say yes to Levelling Up? Will ChatGPT Replace the Policy Wonk?”

West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 9 December 2022

In this edition we look at the price of the UK’s 12 favourite Christmas dinner trimmings, the price of a traditional Christmas dinner (for a family of 4 or 5) has increased 17.6% from £32.93 in November 2021 to £38.72 in November 2022. However, despite the general gloom of cost-of-living an Ipsos report found that … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 9 December 2022”

Birmingham: Future Prospects – Short Term Pain, Long Term Potential

With the release of more economic data on the period impacted by the pandemic, Rebecca Riley looks at the forecasts being built from this data, and what they say about Birmingham. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2022.  The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the University … Continue reading “Birmingham: Future Prospects – Short Term Pain, Long Term Potential”

West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 11 November 2022

This fortnight, with a new PM in place, leading business representative organisations, including the CBI, FSB and the Chambers of Commerce have called for certainty and stability from the new Prime Minister to restore business confidence in the UK. They are calling for Rishi Sunak to restore fiscal credibility, stabilise the economy and deliver much … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 11 November 2022”