The Office of Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) COVID-19 analysis published on 14th April 2020 makes clear that on the basis of evidence from past pandemics the economic impact of the crisis will arise less from illness and death than from the reduction in demand for goods and services stemming from public health restrictions and social distancing … Continue reading “Estimates of the Local Impact in the West Midlands of the OBR Scenario of a 35% Reduction in Real GDP in Q2 2020”
Category: Regions
The Uneven Spatial Footprint of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Shutdown
In this blog, Tasos Kitsos looks into the spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of industries currently shut down in the UK. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, we begin to realise the potential economic impact from the oncoming recession. The Office for National Statistics has moved with unprecedented speed to gather data on the … Continue reading “The Uneven Spatial Footprint of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Shutdown”
The Role of Civic Universities in the Coronavirus Crisis and Beyond
I joined City-REDI / WM REDI in a very different world to the one in which universities are now operating and which is having and will have a profound effect on how we work with our cities and regions. It is therefore important that groups like City-REDI / WM REDI contribute their analytical capacity to … Continue reading “The Role of Civic Universities in the Coronavirus Crisis and Beyond”
Identifying Exposure: What Do the IFS Estimates on the Coronavirus Sector Shutdown Mean for the West Midlands?
On April 6th 2020 the Institute for Fiscal Studies published a briefing note about which workers are most exposed to the COVID-19 lockdown. In this blog, Tasos Kitsos looks at the relevant figures for a range of sub-national areas focussing on West Midlands Combined Authority and constituent LEPs and Local Authorities. The sectors directly affected … Continue reading “Identifying Exposure: What Do the IFS Estimates on the Coronavirus Sector Shutdown Mean for the West Midlands?”
Local Resilience and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Economic Crisis
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”
City-REDI Book Club – The Wealth and Poverty of Cities: Why Nations Matter
As the COVID-19 pandemic forces people to stay at home, it is increasingly changing our ways of living and working. Major phone networks and internet providers in the UK have reported a surge in demand whilst the online streaming platform Netflix has reduced its streaming quality to respond to increased traffic. Remote working tools such … Continue reading “City-REDI Book Club – The Wealth and Poverty of Cities: Why Nations Matter”
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”