Meet Fengjie Pan, City REDI’s New Productivity Research Fellow

My name is Fengjie and I recently joined the City-REDI Team working on the Productivity Project. I am from China, and completed my MPhil and PhD in the University of Manchester. My PhD in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy explored the knowledge sharing and co-creation in service innovation based on the Knowledge-Intensive Business Services. I … Continue reading “Meet Fengjie Pan, City REDI’s New Productivity Research Fellow”

The Long-Run Consequences of Adverse Economic Shocks: UK Regional and Urban Inequalities

The UK today is deeply divided between prosperous places and lagging regions. The UK economy has become extremely unbalanced, in the sense that the UK is now one of the world’s most inter-regionally unequal countries (Rice et al. 2006; Martin 2015; Martin et al. 2018; McCann 2019a,b). The prosperous parts of the UK today exhibit … Continue reading “The Long-Run Consequences of Adverse Economic Shocks: UK Regional and Urban Inequalities”

Data for Good. How Has Data Transformed Today’s Social Sciences?

At the beginning was Big Data, then Machine Learning came and now is the time of AI. Since buzzwords emerge faster than the innovation waves they describe, the conceptualization of digital transformation remains sometimes vague, although it can be considered the result of convergence among advances made in several related information and communication technologies (ICTs). … Continue reading “Data for Good. How Has Data Transformed Today’s Social Sciences?”

The Role of Embeddedness on Regional Economic Resilience: Evidence from the UK

In this blog, Tasos Kitsos outlines the main findings of joint research with André Carrascal-Incera and Raquel Ortega-Argilés on the role of local industrial embeddedness and economic resilience. A lot has been said and written on the importance of circular economies and local economic embeddedness for generating good growth and resilience. However, to date, it … Continue reading “The Role of Embeddedness on Regional Economic Resilience: Evidence from the UK”

Understanding Productivity and Prosperity: Regional Skills Mismatches and Inclusive Growth for the West Midlands

Chloe Billing reflects on this year’s Regional Studies Association’s annual conference in Santiago de Compostela. On the 6th June, I had the opportunity to present the findings from the first phase of City REDI’s project on ‘Productivity and Prosperity’ at the RSA conference in Santiago. Details of the ESRC funded project and the wider team … Continue reading “Understanding Productivity and Prosperity: Regional Skills Mismatches and Inclusive Growth for the West Midlands”

David Ricardo is very much alive (and kicking)

The economist David Ricardo (18 April 1772 – 11 September 1823) formulated the famous theory of comparative advantage, which soon became one of the most influential pieces in the field of international trade and industrial specialization. His theory of value (prices and rents mechanism) however is generally less known, but it also led to very … Continue reading “David Ricardo is very much alive (and kicking)”

Resilience, Politics and Awards: Reflections from Regional Studies Association’s Conference in Santiago de Compostela

Tasos Kitsos reflects on this year’s Regional Studies Association’s annual conference in Santiago de Compostela. Every RSA conference is a great opportunity to meet old friends, make new, discuss research and engage in new collaborations. This one was particularly excting since it was the first time I was involved in organising a special session. Together … Continue reading “Resilience, Politics and Awards: Reflections from Regional Studies Association’s Conference in Santiago de Compostela”

How to USE-IT!

USE-IT! is a three-year European Union funded programme which aims to pioneer innovative approaches to inclusive urban development in an area of persistent poverty and deprivation in inner city Birmingham. The programme is framed around urban poverty and urban transformations and is led by Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) at the University of … Continue reading “How to USE-IT!”

New Policy Institute: The State of Economic Justice in Birmingham and the Black Country

NPI’s recent report on behalf of the Barrow Cadbury Trust depicts a shocking, if not surprising, picture of economic injustice in England’s second city and the surrounding Black Country. The report combines the traditional economic barometers like productivity with the ideas of social justice and how the economy spreads well-being. The first of its kind … Continue reading “New Policy Institute: The State of Economic Justice in Birmingham and the Black Country”

The Realities, Challenges and Strengths of the External Funding Environment at LEP Level

When I joined City-REDI in October, I was seconded 50% of my time to the Smart Specialisation Hub in Islington for six months. The Hub provided analysis to improve local and national understanding of innovation capabilities, benchmarking innovation activity across Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). Established in 2010 by the then Department for Business, Innovation and … Continue reading “The Realities, Challenges and Strengths of the External Funding Environment at LEP Level”