The Nightmare Before Christmas

Alice Pugh looks at the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the Christmas season. Whether you view Christmas as a religious or commercial holiday, for most households in the UK it should be a beautiful time of the year filled with joy. However, this year the cost-of-living crisis is the grinch which is stealing Christmas … Continue reading “The Nightmare Before Christmas”

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West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 9 December 2022

In this edition we look at the price of the UK’s 12 favourite Christmas dinner trimmings, the price of a traditional Christmas dinner (for a family of 4 or 5) has increased 17.6% from £32.93 in November 2021 to £38.72 in November 2022. However, despite the general gloom of cost-of-living an Ipsos report found that … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 9 December 2022”

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Young People, Employment and Wellbeing

Paul Vallance discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the well-being of young people in Birmingham, which affected their mental health, education and employment opportunities. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2022.  The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham … Continue reading “Young People, Employment and Wellbeing”

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Evaluating the Local Economic Impacts of Student Knowledge Exchange

Johannes Read discusses the Impact Tool, developed to analyse the impact of student-led knowledge exchange on the local economy. The Student Knowledge Exchange Re-Imagined- Removing Barriers, Engaging Communities project is funded by the Office for Students and Research England, to improve the engagement of under-represented groups and the not-for-profit sector to remove barriers and engage … Continue reading “Evaluating the Local Economic Impacts of Student Knowledge Exchange”

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Insights into Birmingham City Council’s Spending Power, Revenue Funding and Spending between 2010-11 and 2019-2020

A new report by Alice Pugh, Dr Abigail Taylor, and WMREDI intern Charlotte Tomlinson examines changes in Birmingham City Council’s income and expenditure over the decade between 2010/11 and 2019/20. In this blog, Alice and Abigail summarise the aims of the report, the methodological approach adopted and they key findings. They also discuss key messages … Continue reading “Insights into Birmingham City Council’s Spending Power, Revenue Funding and Spending between 2010-11 and 2019-2020”

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Logic Models for Business Cases

Danielle Mason, from the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, discusses the importance of logic models when applying for local economic growth funding and highlights a new training programme to help support their use. At What Works Growth, we want to improve the use of evaluation and evidence for local economic growth policy. The … Continue reading “Logic Models for Business Cases”

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What Are the Current Challenges in the UK Labour Market and How Can They Be Addressed?

Dr Kostas Kollydas and Dr Abigail Taylor discuss current labour market challenges faced in the UK. You can find more analyis on the UK Labour Market in our blog – Why are the Over-50s Leaving the Workforce? Labour Market Flows and Future Participation Flows. – How do Fertility Rates and Childcare Costs Play out in … Continue reading “What Are the Current Challenges in the UK Labour Market and How Can They Be Addressed?”

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City-REDI/WMREDI Round Up – November 2022

Events – presenting work / speaking engagements Pei-Yu Yuan presented “Public procurement and innovation ‘missions’” at The Productivity Institute in-house meeting on 2nd  November 2022. Annum Rafique  presented at the Smart Energy – An Energy System for the 21st Century” at ‘Midlands Engine Research Partnership‘ meeting and at the ‘Midlands Engine Intelligence Committee’ meeting on 10th November … Continue reading “City-REDI/WMREDI Round Up – November 2022”

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Birmingham: Future Prospects – Short Term Pain, Long Term Potential

With the release of more economic data on the period impacted by the pandemic, Rebecca Riley looks at the forecasts being built from this data, and what they say about Birmingham. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2022.  The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the University … Continue reading “Birmingham: Future Prospects – Short Term Pain, Long Term Potential”

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Autumn Statement 2022: Implications for Research, Development and Innovation

Kelvin Humphreys looks at the impact of the Autumn Statement on Research, Development and Innovation in the UK. Last week’s Autumn Statement set the scene for £30bn in spending cuts and £25bn in tax rises to plug a £55bn hole in the public finances by 2027/28. All departments except for health and social care and … Continue reading “Autumn Statement 2022: Implications for Research, Development and Innovation”

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