In May 2026, Aston Villa won the Europa League, their first European trophy for 44 years. England have two more representatives, Arsenal and Crystal Palace, in the finals of the Champions League and Conference League – the other two major European competitions. This can be a cause for celebration of the strength of English football. … Continue reading “What Aston Villa’s Europa League Win Tells Us About the 2026 English Local Elections”
Category: Economics
Report Spotlight: Bridging the Innovation Gap through Innovation Intermediaries
In a new series of blogs, we will be looking at the current and historical work of City-REDI. In this instalment, Dr Chloe Billing shares findings from a report on innovation intermediaries and their role in regional innovation systems, co-authored with Dr Carolin Ioramashvili, Dr Pei-Yu Yuan, Dr Magda Rosario Cepeda Zorrilla, Professor Simon Collinson, … Continue reading “Report Spotlight: Bridging the Innovation Gap through Innovation Intermediaries”
Understanding the Major Challenges Facing UK businesses and the Economy – Evidence Submission
Dr Huanjia Ma recently contributed to a Business and Trade Committee call for evidence on behalf of City-REDI, University of Birmingham. This blog explores his submission. The committee was trying to understand the major challenges facing UK businesses and the economy, including costs, regulation, skills shortages, and investment barriers. This in turn would help support … Continue reading “Understanding the Major Challenges Facing UK businesses and the Economy – Evidence Submission”
When Projects Don’t Go to Plan: What I Learned From My Public Policy Internship
Intern Arran Benton reflects on their time as part of City-REDI and their work on Shaping Birmingham Futures Together. The initial project When I started the internship at City-REDI I didn’t really know what to expect, nor did I know a huge deal about how the world of policy operates, but after going through this … Continue reading “When Projects Don’t Go to Plan: What I Learned From My Public Policy Internship”
The Birmingham Economic Review 2025
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”
Unpicking the 2025 Budget
Johannes Read, Senior Policy and Data Analyst at the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) outlines that announcements made in the 2025 Budget on 26th November is more about tinkering with the edges, rather than a deeper, and arguably necessary, reform. Tackling different types of challenges Football is a big part of my life. As a … Continue reading “Unpicking the 2025 Budget”
UK Budget 2025: Key Measures and Economic Outlook
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her second Budget, outlining plans for taxes, public services, infrastructure, business support, and social measures, alongside updated forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Some details were previously announced, while others emerged after the OBR accidentally published its official forecast early. This blog aims to summarise what was said … Continue reading “UK Budget 2025: Key Measures and Economic Outlook”
Small Print, Small Ambition: Poverty in the Party Playbooks
Gerardo J. Arriaga-Garcia and Lee Gregory reflect on a decade of UK political manifesto audits by ASAP UK, revealing a persistent lack of ambition across parties to tackle poverty. Their analysis highlights declining commitments, especially under Labour’s 2024 government, and calls for a renewed focus on human flourishing in anti-poverty policy. In the run-up to … Continue reading “Small Print, Small Ambition: Poverty in the Party Playbooks”
Policy Briefing: Understanding the UK’s Rise in Economic Inactivity Since 2020 Across Local Labour Markets
Donald Houston talks though key findings of the report and policy implications of a recent City-REDI paper. The University of Birmingham’s City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) has published a Research & Policy Briefing paper based on the main findings from a major project that I led funded by the Economic & Social Research Council. The … Continue reading “Policy Briefing: Understanding the UK’s Rise in Economic Inactivity Since 2020 Across Local Labour Markets”
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 29th October 2025
International instability, uncertainty and protectionism continued to impact not just the global economy but the UK economy, with current and future business activity in decline, as a result of reduced confidence in the consumer markets globally. Prices continue to rise nationally, with consumer price inflation CPI rising 3.8% in the year to September 2025. Global … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 29th October 2025”