Lessons for the West Midlands From Greater Montreal

Recently, I had the privilege of travelling to Montreal, to present a paper with my colleague Rebecca Riley and meet with key policy makers. The trip provided a fascinating comparison with the West Midlands, in particular in terms of the success of industrial clusters, approaches to promoting FDI, the use of innovation zones, and university … Continue reading “Lessons for the West Midlands From Greater Montreal”

West Midlands Economic Monitor: December 2019

December’s edition of the West Midlands Economic Monitor is now available for you to keep up to date with recent developments in the region. The headlines for this month’s monitor are: Headline West Midlands business activity—accounting for services and manufacturing—has fallen to 49.4, returning to contraction In 2018/19 there were 31,740 apprenticeship starts across the … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Monitor: December 2019”

Making Inclusive Economic Growth Happen

This blog post has been produced to provide insight into the findings of the Birmingham Economic Review. The Birmingham Economic Review 2019 is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second … Continue reading “Making Inclusive Economic Growth Happen”

Meet Matt Patterson, Administrative Assistant at City-REDI

I have been a member of the City REDI Team for a little under 4 months, having joined as part of the professional services team towards the start of August. I am new to the world of academia, having worked in the private and third sectors in my previous jobs. Much of the culture and … Continue reading “Meet Matt Patterson, Administrative Assistant at City-REDI”

Towards an Integrated Transport Policy in the West Midlands

This blog post has been produced to provide insight into the findings of the Birmingham Economic Review. The Birmingham Economic Review 2019 is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second … Continue reading “Towards an Integrated Transport Policy in the West Midlands”

What are Industrial Clusters and Economies of Agglomeration?

Welcome to part four in our new series “What is…?” where we explain the language, terms and ideas used in our day-to-day work.  Other blogs from the series include: What is GVA? What is Smart Specialisation? What is Transport Resilience?  Definition and description A business cluster or industrial cluster is an umbrella term that describes … Continue reading “What are Industrial Clusters and Economies of Agglomeration?”

From Grade A Office Space to Affordable Housing: Towards a Responsible and Inclusive City

This blog post has been produced to provide insight into the findings of the Birmingham Economic Review. The Birmingham Economic Review 2019 is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second … Continue reading “From Grade A Office Space to Affordable Housing: Towards a Responsible and Inclusive City”

Changing Apprenticeships: Challenges and Opportunities

This blog post has been produced to provide insight into the findings of the Birmingham Economic Review. The Birmingham Economic Review 2019 is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second … Continue reading “Changing Apprenticeships: Challenges and Opportunities”

Sign up to the City-REDI Mailing List

City REDI is a research institute focused on developing an academic understanding of major city regions across the globe to develop practical policy which better informs and influences regional and national economic growth policies. Each week we publish a series of blogs on cities, economics, business, politics, regional development, local government and skills, highlighting our … Continue reading “Sign up to the City-REDI Mailing List”