First things first, stay in as much as possible. Never before such a simple action could have such a big impact. From protecting your loved ones to helping the economy, staying in is currently one of our best weapons. The more we stay in, the quicker we will be out of this challenge. Beyond the … Continue reading “Local Resilience and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Economic Crisis”
Category: Economics
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?”
Contagion: The Economic and Social Impacts of Coronavirus (Covid-19) on the West Midlands
In the case of almost all kinds of economic, social, political or health-related systemic shocks, the vulnerable are the most severely impacted. We know a great deal now about the susceptibility of particular groups in our population to the Covid-19 virus, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions relating to heart and lung functions. But … Continue reading “Contagion: The Economic and Social Impacts of Coronavirus (Covid-19) on the West Midlands”
Economic Exposure to COVID-19 (Part III): The Situation in the West Midlands Region – The Sectoral Effects of a Lockdown
Like any good Hollywood blockbuster you can think of, here we finish the trilogy of blogs related to the economic exposure to COVID-19 of the West Midlands’ sectors [1]. If you are still reading this series and you are not overwhelmed yet by the amount of information (and disinformation) related to the pandemic, I hope … Continue reading “Economic Exposure to COVID-19 (Part III): The Situation in the West Midlands Region – The Sectoral Effects of a Lockdown”
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”
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”
Capitalism and Its Impact on Global Living Standards
In a world where living standards have dramatically risen in the developed nations, technology and science are often credited with this outcome. Advancements in technology have created better farming techniques and increased food production. Medical science has eliminated disease and prolonged life through organ transplants, keyhole surgery and pacemakers. So how has capitalism impacted on … Continue reading “Capitalism and Its Impact on Global Living Standards”
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?”
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”