Dr Matthew Lyons summarises the annual Birmingham Economic Review 2025, in collaboration with the Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the City Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) at the University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. The report launched on Thursday 4th of December at The … Continue reading “The Birmingham Economic Review 2025”
Category: City-REDI publications
City-REDI Summer Roundup 2025
This blog summarises the reports City-REDI have put out between July-August 2025. Catch up on all the latest reports and projects in one place. Black Sabbath Analysis in ‘Metal Injection’ Dr Matthew Lyons analysis on Ozzy Osbourne has been picked up in a music outlet called Metal Injection. Matthew Lyon’s on ITV News Dr Matthew … Continue reading “City-REDI Summer Roundup 2025”
City-REDI Roundup – April 2025
This blog summarises the reports City-REDI have put out in April 2025. Catch up on all the latest reports and projects in one place. Funding Local Areas – What does the English public think about changes in how funds are allocated to local government? Findings from a Citizen Engagement Workshop. In February 2025, 43 public … Continue reading “City-REDI Roundup – April 2025”
WMREDI Policy Briefing: Financial Resilience During Economic Decline
In this policy briefing, Dr Amir Qamar, Dr Emma Gardner, Professor Anne Green and Professor Simon Collinson review the financial health of the largest 50 manufacturing firms within the West Midlands. Introduction The ongoing impact of the UK’s departure from the EU, the aftermath of the pandemic, and the recent depreciation of the pound provide … Continue reading “WMREDI Policy Briefing: Financial Resilience During Economic Decline”
Response to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee Inquiry on the Impact of COVID-19 on Businesses and Workers
City-REDI / WMREDI have collated information from a range of contributors as a response to the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee inquiry on the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and workers. It covers a variety of topics from identifying the complex and far-reaching impacts of the crisis to economic modelling … Continue reading “Response to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee Inquiry on the Impact of COVID-19 on Businesses and Workers”
REDI-Updates 1: Editor’s Welcome: Inclusive Growth Is More Important Than Ever
Foreword – by Simon Collinson and Ben Brittain When we began writing this, our first edition of REDI-Updates, the Covid-19 pandemic was a small and distant threat. A local crisis limited to a single city-region in China. The world has changed dramatically since then. As we re-focus our research efforts and our analytics towards projects … Continue reading “REDI-Updates 1: Editor’s Welcome: Inclusive Growth Is More Important Than Ever”
Is Birmingham a Just City?
The story of Birmingham’s post-industrial decline in the twentieth century is well known. However, any visitor to the city centre today can’t help but notice its urban renaissance in the twenty-first. From the revitalised New Street station to the glass tower blocks at Snow Hill, major regeneration projects are visually transforming the city. Many of … Continue reading “Is Birmingham a Just City?”
Economic Exposure to COVID-19 (Part II): The Situation in the West Midlands Region – Demand for Health Services: The Invisible Indirect Workers
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”
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”
Regional Productivity Differences, Skills and Inclusive Growth: Survey Findings
The UK lags behind most advanced economies in terms of the productivity of its firms. There are also significant inter-regional differences in productivity across the UK, which are an important component of overall poor performance. The UK is also one of the most unequal countries, compared to other industrialised competitors, in terms of regional differences … Continue reading “Regional Productivity Differences, Skills and Inclusive Growth: Survey Findings”