Following the easing of lockdown key indicators are showing the start of a return to normal. Footfall statistics indicate that people are more comfortable with leaving home, but the majority of people still feel the pandemic is having a worrying effect on their lives. The latest skills data shows a significant improvement; however, this should … Continue reading “West Midlands Weekly Economic Impact Monitor – 30th April 2021”
Serendipity Doesn’t Have to Be Left to Chance
In the final blog of a series exploring the power of anchor institution networks, Conrad Parke discovers that what sometimes looks like serendipity is really intent. This blog was first published on the CLES website. You can view the other blogs below: Anchor Network Supply Chain Hub: A Proposal Anchor Institution Networks: One Idea, Many … Continue reading “Serendipity Doesn’t Have to Be Left to Chance”
West Midlands Weekly Economic Impact Monitor – 16th April 2021
The latest GDP figures indicate the scale of recovery required as service businesses, including shops, restaurants and hairdressers, begin to re-open their doors this week. However, unlike the recessions of the past, many jobs have been retained (due to furlough and other government schemes), and as lockdowns are in place, many individuals have saved up … Continue reading “West Midlands Weekly Economic Impact Monitor – 16th April 2021”
Meet Kelvin Humphreys, City-REDI’s New Policy and Data Analyst
I joined City REDI / WM REDI in early February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic that is gripping the nation and much of the world. Certainly not in my lifetime has there been disruption on the scale seen over the past year. As I write this from my makeshift office at home, I wonder when … Continue reading “Meet Kelvin Humphreys, City-REDI’s New Policy and Data Analyst”
Covid-19 and Business: Has Government Support Worked?
Alice Pugh looks at the impact of lockdown on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), what support they’ve received and how they have fared compared to their larger counterparts. Covid-19 has created significant shocks throughout the business base. In the first wave, 47% of all UK industries reported that their turnover had been lower than normal … Continue reading “Covid-19 and Business: Has Government Support Worked?”
City-REDI / WM REDI Round Up – March 2021
Events – presenting work/speaking engagements On the 2nd March, Professor Raquel Ortega-Argiles presented at the Spatial Analytics + Data seminar on the digital economy and regional inequalities in the UK. On the 9th of March, WM REDI and the West Midlands Combined Authority hosted the Treasury Green Book Roadshow. On the 16th of March, City-REDI … Continue reading “City-REDI / WM REDI Round Up – March 2021”
Meet Alice Pugh, New Policy and Data Analyst for City-REDI / WM REDI
I am Alice Pugh and I recently joined the City-REDI team, as a Policy and Data Analyst; having previously worked with City-REDI as a Research Associate. I graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2019 with a degree in BA Economics, where my dissertation surrounded austerity policy and inequality. This involved a combination of both a … Continue reading “Meet Alice Pugh, New Policy and Data Analyst for City-REDI / WM REDI”
Intergenerational Income Mobility in the UK
On the 24th of March, City-REDI held its third external seminar featuring Dr Bertha Rohenkohl from the University of Sheffield. Intergenerational Income Mobility in the UK: New evidence using the BHPS and Understanding Society Abstract: Using a new dataset combining the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and Understanding Society (UKHLS), this paper examines the degree … Continue reading “Intergenerational Income Mobility in the UK”
Levelling Up in the Knowledge Economy: Can the Ruhr Shake off its Rust?
Professor Matthias Kiese discusses the structural transformation of the Ruhr in Germany, a region attempting to leave behind its industrial past and move towards a knowledge-based economy. A broader analysis looking at the progress the Ruhr region has made towards levelling up over the last five decades can be found in the Industrial Strategy Council’s … Continue reading “Levelling Up in the Knowledge Economy: Can the Ruhr Shake off its Rust?”
West Midlands Weekly Economic Impact Monitor – 26th March 2021
This week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that productivity grew at the fastest rate on record in the middle of 2020 when compared with the quarter before, but this fell away again in the last three months of the year. This was mainly because the least productive industries were those hardest hit by … Continue reading “West Midlands Weekly Economic Impact Monitor – 26th March 2021”