This is the second blog in a series on the economic exposure of the West Midlands region [1] to COVID-19. The first article talked about the effect on the main sectors and the employment depending on foreign trade, in an eventual case of international borders closure. You can read the first blog here. The second … Continue reading “Economic Exposure to COVID-19 (Part II): The Situation in the West Midlands Region – Demand for Health Services: The Invisible Indirect Workers”
Category: Cities
Economic Exposure to COVID-19 (Part I): The Situation in the West Midlands Region – Closing the Borders
How can I help? That is the question I’ve been asking myself ever since I knew COVID-19 was approaching the UK. And it finally arrived, as expected, but it caught us unprepared, even though we have been observing speechless what was happening in many other countries around the corner, like Italy (where I have many … Continue reading “Economic Exposure to COVID-19 (Part I): The Situation in the West Midlands Region – Closing the Borders”
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”
#Budget2020: Did the West Midlands Win Anything?
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has now delivered his much-anticipated budget. It is the first UK budget since 2018 and has been given ahead of a Bank of England Rate interest rate cut from 0.75% to 0.25%. But, what will it mean for the regions of the UK, and more importantly what will it mean for … Continue reading “#Budget2020: Did the West Midlands Win Anything?”
When Weak Ties are Strong – Neighbour Analysis of Ethnic Enclaves
Presenter: Ozge Oner, Lecturer in Spatial Economics and Real Estate, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge On the 4th March 2020, Ozge Oner presented her research work with fellow academics Professor Johan Klaesson, Research Institute of Industrial Economics and Dr Dieter Pennerstofer, Kepler University Linz. Below is an abstract and also a video recording … Continue reading “When Weak Ties are Strong – Neighbour Analysis of Ethnic Enclaves”
A First Look at Connections Between Creative Industry Presence and the Wider Urban Economy
Creative industries have long been a focus of urban researchers and policymakers. There is a good reason for this: creative industries tend to cluster heavily in cities. In the UK, for example, 53% of creative industries jobs and 44% of firms are found in just five cities. There is a large academic literature describing these … Continue reading “A First Look at Connections Between Creative Industry Presence and the Wider Urban Economy”
Birmingham Has yet to Embrace Tolkien – Why?
Tolkien and his works are inextricably linked to Birmingham, and hints of Middle-earth can be found across the region. He grew up in Kings Heath, a suburb of the city, and spent a considerable amount of time in Hall Green, home to Moseley Bog, believed to be the inspiration for Fangorn Forest. The city captured … Continue reading “Birmingham Has yet to Embrace Tolkien – Why?”
Meet John Goddard – Professor of Universities and Cities, City-REDI / WM REDI, University of Birmingham
I have joined City-REDI / WM REDI with the principal purpose of building a network of research-intensive universities focussing on their role in city and regional development having led research, policy and practice in this area locally, nationally and internationally over several decades. My work on this theme started in CURDS in the 1980s where … Continue reading “Meet John Goddard – Professor of Universities and Cities, City-REDI / WM REDI, University of Birmingham”
Professional and Business Services Sector: Creating Further Demand and Growth Outside London – New Report Released
We are proud to announce that BEIS have just published our report, summarising our research findings on creating demand and growth in the Professional and business service sector. The UK’s poor productivity performance continues to be of much debate in policy and research and is central to the development of the Industrial Strategy. This research … Continue reading “Professional and Business Services Sector: Creating Further Demand and Growth Outside London – New Report Released”
WM REDI Launch Shows the Region Is Ready to Rise to the Challenge
An exciting new University of Birmingham research institute, the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WM REDI) was launched on Monday 3rd February. It is an unprecedented partnership between key regional organisations and stakeholders, who have come together to find ways to deliver an effective inclusive growth vision and meet the economic challenges and opportunities … Continue reading “WM REDI Launch Shows the Region Is Ready to Rise to the Challenge”