Brexit and the UK’s Regional and Urban Challenges

Brexit poses four direct challenges that relate to sub-national, regional and urban issues. First, it leads to an economic challenge in that the UK’s interregional inequalities are likely to become even greater than they currently are. Second, and consequent upon the first, is that Brexit also leads to a political challenge in that the expectations of voters … Continue reading “Brexit and the UK’s Regional and Urban Challenges”

Meet Professor Stephan Weiler, Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Birmingham – Part Three

Professor Stephan Weiler is currently visiting City-REDI as a Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair. The Fulbright Distinguished Chair Awards are viewed as the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program, a global exchange program now in existence for over seventy years. In a series of blogs, Stephan will introduce himself and outline how this partnership … Continue reading “Meet Professor Stephan Weiler, Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Birmingham – Part Three”

Economic Resilience: The Multi-Dimensional Role of Skills

City-REDI has prepared this brief to inform the debate on economic resilience. It draws on resilience research at the Institute and elsewhere and is prepared under funding provided by the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/S011226/1). It first discusses the concept of resilience in political and policy discourse at the national level and then considers … Continue reading “Economic Resilience: The Multi-Dimensional Role of Skills”

Spacetime and Singapore: Towards a Four-Dimensional Understanding of City-Region Economies

I am based in Singapore this week and this provides an opportunity to consider Singapore as an extraordinary place. There are many aspects to Singapore as an extraordinary place. It is possible to argue that all places are extraordinary or special in some way. Context matters or perhaps more correctly ‘geography matters’. It is important … Continue reading “Spacetime and Singapore: Towards a Four-Dimensional Understanding of City-Region Economies”

New focus on the foundations of the UK’s economy might help poorest regions post-Brexit

Among all the uncertainty Brexit is causing, concerns have arisen over the potential fuel it is adding to the pertinent problem of inequality. There is mounting evidence that post-Brexit, the economic and social disparities between the stronger and weaker UK regions will widen. Looking at a number of potential scenarios, estimates suggest that the poorest … Continue reading “New focus on the foundations of the UK’s economy might help poorest regions post-Brexit”

Brexit Employment Risks by Occupation

Brexit will cause impediments to exports from the UK to the EU. These will affect UK sectors to different extents. Some sectors sell large shares of their output to EU markets, while others do not. These differences have an impact on the degree to which specific occupational types of employment are exposed to trade risks … Continue reading “Brexit Employment Risks by Occupation”

Inequality, Not Facebook, Threatens Our Democracies

In a recent viral TED Talk, the British journalist Carole Cadwalladr accused big tech companies in Silicon Valley of threaten liberal democracies and becoming “accessories” to their alleged subversion. In particular, she recalled the Cambridge Analytica case and accused Facebook of acting as a tool to spread lies and misinformation that eventually made Leave campaign … Continue reading “Inequality, Not Facebook, Threatens Our Democracies”

Meet Professor Stephan Weiler, Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Birmingham – Part Two

Professor Stephan Weiler is currently visiting City-REDI as a Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair. The Fulbright Distinguished Chair Awards are viewed as the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program, a global exchange program now in existence for over seventy years. In a series of blogs, Stephan will introduce himself, outline how this partnership came … Continue reading “Meet Professor Stephan Weiler, Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Birmingham – Part Two”

The West Midlands Economic Monitor – April 2019

This month’s edition of the West Midlands Economic Monitor is now available for download. We look at the changes in regional productivity, employment, business activity and house prices in the region, as well as business openings, transport changes, equality and diversity and major new housing developments. Get the April edition of the monitor by clicking … Continue reading “The West Midlands Economic Monitor – April 2019”

Meet Professor Stephan Weiler, Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Birmingham

Professor Stephan Weiler is currently visiting City-REDI as a Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair. The Fulbright Distinguished Chair Awards are viewed as the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program, a global exchange program now in existence for over seventy years. In a series of blogs, Stephan will introduce himself, outline how this partnership came … Continue reading “Meet Professor Stephan Weiler, Fulbright Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Birmingham”