Worker to Robot or Self-employment and the Gig Economy? Divisions of Labour, Technology and the Transformation of Work 

The 20th century was one of great technological innovation, but the 21st century will be perhaps even more transformational. It is possible to explore the impacts of former technological changes on today’s labour market. Between 1980 and 2012 per capita world output increased, on average, by 1.7% corresponding to a cumulative growth of just over … Continue reading “Worker to Robot or Self-employment and the Gig Economy? Divisions of Labour, Technology and the Transformation of Work “

Commonwealth 2022 – How to maximise the impact of Mega Events

The Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham have the potential to be a catalyst for change, the challenge is to maximise that change within the demanding timescales. Looking to past mega events and evaluations can help us quickly adapt and adopt best practice and make decisions at speed. Yesterday morning I was part of a panel … Continue reading “Commonwealth 2022 – How to maximise the impact of Mega Events”

Snow, Snow, Glorious Snow: Funding and Financing Local Infrastructure in the UK

Snow, snow, glorious snow. The UK is currently experiencing the impacts of the ‘beast from the east’ as cold air from Russia and eastern Europe creates the conditions that produce, in many parts of the UK, transport chaos. This type of periodic weather disruption to infrastructure is a reminder of how reliant we are on … Continue reading “Snow, Snow, Glorious Snow: Funding and Financing Local Infrastructure in the UK”

Research Collaboration in Quantitative Economic Modelling is Now Set Up!

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Colorado State University and City-REDI research collaboration in quantitative economic modelling is now set up. Professor Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, founding Director of REAL, the Regional Economic Applications Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and Professor Stephan Weiler, founding Director of REDI@CSU, the Regional Economic Development Institute at … Continue reading “Research Collaboration in Quantitative Economic Modelling is Now Set Up!”

Devolution: Are cities on track in the worst of times?

Regardless of the arguments for and against, the subject of devolution is here to stay. The unprecedented interest levels in the EU Referendum meant that record numbers of people voted, and at its core, this was a reflection on devolution, and who makes decisions on our behalf. So, how far has devolution come? In a … Continue reading “Devolution: Are cities on track in the worst of times?”

Max Nathan features in a film about about tech, migrants and innovation in London

City-REDI’s Dr. Max Nathan features in a documentary by Wired magazine and the Museum of London called, “How migrant entrepreneurs help power growth in the London economy“. The documentary looks at what it is about London that makes it  Europe’s largest and most vibrant tech hub. As well as Dr. Max Nathan, the documentary also provides insight … Continue reading “Max Nathan features in a film about about tech, migrants and innovation in London”

The end (of the project) is near

It is with both a sense of sadness and satisfaction that I write this blog. Sadness because the Urban Living Birmingham project has now formally completed – although outputs and outcomes will continue to be produced into the New Year. Satisfaction because of all we achieved in such a short time. In only 18 months … Continue reading “The end (of the project) is near”

The Birmingham Economic Review 2017 – Inward & Foreign Direct Investment

The Birmingham Economic Review was produced in October 2017 by City-REDI, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the West Midlands Growth Company. The review highlights the current strengths and weakness of the Birmingham economy, as well as looking at the opportunities and threats that might impact upon it in the future. This is a commentary on Chapter 11 of … Continue reading “The Birmingham Economic Review 2017 – Inward & Foreign Direct Investment”

The Birmingham Economic Review 2017 – The Visitor Economy

The Birmingham Economic Review was produced in October 2017 by City-REDI, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the West Midlands Growth Company. The review highlights the current strengths and weakness of the Birmingham economy, as well as looking at the opportunities and threats that might impact upon it in the future. This is a commentary on Chapter 10 of … Continue reading “The Birmingham Economic Review 2017 – The Visitor Economy”

Clusters, and the research opportunity of Big Data – finding better ways to assess a specialised economy

Last year, NIESR, SpazioDati and City REDI were commissioned by the then Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to generate new evidence on UK industrial clusters and to test the potentials and limitations of Big Data techniques applied to the study of the topic. Reflecting back on this work its findings are especially relevant when … Continue reading “Clusters, and the research opportunity of Big Data – finding better ways to assess a specialised economy”