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”

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”

What Do We Know About the Current Economic Conditions and What Does the Latest Data Indicate for the West Midlands’ Economy?

Official data has a habit of being out of sync and lagging, necessarily as its aim is to get an accurate understanding of performance, that takes time, effort and a drive for quality. Big decisions are made on this data and we need to know it’s right. But how do we know what’s going on … Continue reading “What Do We Know About the Current Economic Conditions and What Does the Latest Data Indicate for the West Midlands’ Economy?”