Dr Abigail Taylor looks at how the UK’s approach to levelling up compares with regions that have been successful in reducing inequalities. She draws on recent research she contributed to led by Anne Green, Professor of Regional Economic Development, City-REDI and Jeffrey Matsu, Chief Economist at CIPFA. Liam O’Farrell, Hannes Read, Gina Coe, Ben Brittain, and … Continue reading “Other Countries Have Made Progress in Levelling Up – Here’s How the UK’s Plan Compares”
Rethinking Public Procurement for Post-COVID Recovery
Malcolm Harbour CBE from Connected Places Catapult examines how the public sector can use procurement to drive innovation in Birmingham and the West Midlands. This blog post was produced for inclusion in the Birmingham Economic Review for 2021. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers … Continue reading “Rethinking Public Procurement for Post-COVID Recovery”
Levelling Up: Four Problems With Boris Johnson’s Flagship Project
Dr Jack Newman, Professor Nigel Driffield, Professor Nigel Gilbert and Professor Simon Collinson discuss some of the issues with the new Levelling Up White Paper. The UK government has revealed its plan to level up the country – a white paper setting out policies to tackle inequality between places. The plan comes at a defining moment. It’s … Continue reading “Levelling Up: Four Problems With Boris Johnson’s Flagship Project”
National Apprenticeship Week: The Importance of Apprentices
Ellie Macdonald recently started at City-REDI / WMREDI as a Digitial Marketing Apprentice. For National Apprenticeship Week, Ellie talks about why she decided to become an apprentice and the significance of apprenticeships for the workplace. Apprenticeships help you get your foot in the door in a work environment that you want to be in. They … Continue reading “National Apprenticeship Week: The Importance of Apprentices”
The Levelling Up White Paper is Here – Some Challenges and Key Points to Welcome
Dr Abigail Taylor, Professor Anne Green and Professor Simon Collinson take a look at the recently published Levelling Up White Paper, to assess the likely success of these policies in addressing regional inequality. The Levelling Up White Paper indicates how the government intends to level up the country through enabling regional economies to grow faster … Continue reading “The Levelling Up White Paper is Here – Some Challenges and Key Points to Welcome”
Brexit and COVID-19 in the Midlands
Will Rossiter, Associate Professor of Regional Policy & Development at Nottingham Trent University, reflects on the impact of Brexit and the pandemic in the Midlands over the last two years. Reflecting on Brexit and the pandemic A year-on from the end of the transition period covering the UK’s exit from the EU and roughly two … Continue reading “Brexit and COVID-19 in the Midlands”
University R&D and Innovation Are Essential to Government Ambitions for Levelling Up
Professor Simon Collinson highlights the significance of University R&D to regional economics in the UK and why this is so important for levelling up. This blog was first posted on the Birmingham Brief. The benefits of economic growth and wealth creation are usually distributed unevenly. Dealing with the increase in socio-economic and spatial inequality requires … Continue reading “University R&D and Innovation Are Essential to Government Ambitions for Levelling Up”
West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 4 February 2022
The long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper was published on 2 February, setting out 12 missions: living standards, R&D, transport infrastructure, digital connectivity, education, skills, health, well-being, pride in place, housing, crime and local leadership. Domestically, ‘partygate’ has been dominating the news agenda: on 31 January the Cabinet Office published Sue Gray’s Update Report on the … Continue reading “West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor – 4 February 2022”
New Report: What Is Levelling Up and Can It Work?
Dr Abigail Taylor summarises key findings from a recent report published by the Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up to which she contributed. The Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up (CEILUP) at the University of West London has published a collection of contributions and perspectives from a range of contributors across policy, politics, and academia … Continue reading “New Report: What Is Levelling Up and Can It Work?”
Meet Ellie Macdonald, City-REDI/WMREDI’s New Apprentice
I am the new digital marketing and communications apprentice at City-REDI. I am hoping my degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Salford can help me to create new and inspiring content for our audience as I embark on a new career. An apprenticeship was not something I wanted to do when I finished … Continue reading “Meet Ellie Macdonald, City-REDI/WMREDI’s New Apprentice”