Parliamentary ‘Constipation’: Toilet Paper, Brexit Apocalypse and the Kalends or Ides of April

I had a dream last night. I awoke on the Kalends or perhaps the Ides of April to a Brexit Apocalypse. The UK Government had failed to persuade Parliament to approve the withdrawal deal and the UK had left the EU without the benefits of a negotiated and agreed deal. There is much confusion here … Continue reading “Parliamentary ‘Constipation’: Toilet Paper, Brexit Apocalypse and the Kalends or Ides of April”

Services and Experiences from Space

The on-going debate on the future of retailing and the high street has within it an emphasis on the shift from purchasing ‘experiences’ rather than goods. This transformation of economic transactions into experiences can be traced back over two decades but has been intensifying. January is often associated with a number of experiential movements – … Continue reading “Services and Experiences from Space”

Meditations on the Demise of Advent and the Commercialisation of Christmas

Every year Christmas seems to become closer to the end of October. Retailers begin to signal the start of the season of Christmas. Illuminated Christmas trees begin to appear in shops and houses. Perhaps Christmas now commences on Black Friday. For 2018 this was November 23rd and next year it will be November 29th. One … Continue reading “Meditations on the Demise of Advent and the Commercialisation of Christmas”

Value and Valuing Christmas: Towards a non-price-based Theory of Value

In 2016 and again in 2017, I produced a Christmas blog that explored twelve economic impacts of Christmas. More recently, I commented on Small Business Saturday and the importance of responsible consumption during the December shopping Christmas frenzy. This year I am not exploring the economic impacts of Christmas, but I am interested in considering … Continue reading “Value and Valuing Christmas: Towards a non-price-based Theory of Value”

Markle Sparkle and the Royal Wedding 2018: Frocks, Rocks and the Local Economic Impacts of Weddings

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday, 19th May 2018, at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle raises interesting questions regarding the relationship between weddings and local economic development. There can be no question that weddings are big business and that a Royal Wedding, in particular, is exceptionally big business that … Continue reading “Markle Sparkle and the Royal Wedding 2018: Frocks, Rocks and the Local Economic Impacts of Weddings”

‘Plumber phobia’ and the Brexit services trade dilemma

This blog was originally posted on the Birmingham Business School blog. Europe Day is upon us again and provides an ideal opportunity to reflect upon European integration in the face of Brexit. In 1985, the 9th May was designated as Europe Day by the European Union (EU) – then the European Community – to celebrate the … Continue reading “‘Plumber phobia’ and the Brexit services trade dilemma”

Wolverhampton Wanderers Return to the English Premier League: Football, Property and Local Economic Development

Greetings from Singapore. Singapore is perhaps a strange place to reflect on Wolverhampton Wanderers and its return to the English Premier League. But, like Wolverhampton, Singapore is a very special place with an interesting collection of strategic assets. All this is to argue that a place, a city, a town or a ward is defined … Continue reading “Wolverhampton Wanderers Return to the English Premier League: Football, Property and Local Economic Development”

What Sort of Policy is Required for What Sort of Regional Outcome: Reflections on the West Midlands from New Orleans

Another day in New Orleans at the Annual Conference of the Association of American Geographies. In my last blog, I raised the interesting question “What sort of policy is required for what sort of regional outcome?“. The answer to this question is difficult, but some of the discussions at this conference would suggest that any … Continue reading “What Sort of Policy is Required for What Sort of Regional Outcome: Reflections on the West Midlands from New Orleans”

International and Internal Labour Migration and the City – AAG Annual Meeting 2018

The American Association of Geographers Annual meeting 2018 is being held from 10-14 April in New Orleans, USA. It features over 6,000 presentations, posters and workshops by leading scholars, experts, and researchers. In attendance from City REDI, as well as giving papers and organising sessions, are Professor Anne Green, Professor John Bryson and Dr Catherine … Continue reading “International and Internal Labour Migration and the City – AAG Annual Meeting 2018”

Perspectives from the AAG Annual Meeting 2018, New Orleans

This blog gives the perspective of two academics attending the AAG Annual Meeting 2018 in New Orleans. The first part of the blog is from Professor John Bryson, City-REDI, University of Birmingham, and the second part written by Dr. Vida Vanchan, State University of New York (SUNY), who is co-organising two sessions at the conference with Professor … Continue reading “Perspectives from the AAG Annual Meeting 2018, New Orleans”