I have recently returned to the West Midlands for my role as a Policy and Data Analyst after five-years living and working in Wales. Coming back to the area after time away, I can see first-hand the changes across the city. Birmingham is rising to its position as the United Kingdom’s second city; attracting more … Continue reading “Meet Laura Reynolds, our new Policy and Data Analyst”
Tag: West Midlands
The Future of the Business, Professional and Financial Services sector
On the 7th November 2018, City-REDI hosted an event on the ‘Future of the BPFS sector’. Our event was one of 303 that took place across the UK, part of the 2018 ESRC Festival of Social Science, which aims to showcase social science research to diverse and new audiences. The event provided a unique opportunity for regional … Continue reading “The Future of the Business, Professional and Financial Services sector”
Working towards collaboration between City-REDI and the Enterprise Research Centre
At the start of October researchers from the Enterprise Research Centre joined City-REDI at Winterbourne House at the University of Birmingham to share information on projects we are working on and consider how we might collaborate in the future. We have a number of areas of shared mutual interest and at the heart of both … Continue reading “Working towards collaboration between City-REDI and the Enterprise Research Centre”
Autumn Budget 2018: Good news for Economic Growth in the West Midlands?
Since the announcement of the Autumn Budget by Philip Hammond on Monday there has been a raft of analysis at the national level regarding what the budget means. In particular, attention has focused on Hammond’s claim that the era of austerity is “finally coming to an end”, the introduction of a £1,000 increase in Universal … Continue reading “Autumn Budget 2018: Good news for Economic Growth in the West Midlands?”
Mind the Gap! Qualification Shortages in the West Midlands
Given that the negotiations leading to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal are far from reaching a final consensus, the potential implications of any Brexit deal for bilateral skilled migration between the UK and the EU have attracted a great deal of attention by academics. Recent research has shown that almost one million EU citizens who work … Continue reading “Mind the Gap! Qualification Shortages in the West Midlands”
The University of Birmingham’s Impact on the Local Economy
Birmingham was recently ranked as the UK’s number one destination for foreign direct investment – creating over 12,000 jobs in the last 10 years. The West Midlands ranks as the UK’s number one region for manufacturing technology jobs, accounting for 60% of the country’s exports. The focal point for explaining the region’s success often surrounds … Continue reading “The University of Birmingham’s Impact on the Local Economy”
Flexibility Differences between Lean and Agile Production in the West Midlands Automotive Supply Chain
The majority of studies which have investigated lean and agile production have explored each of these production concepts in silos, which is a growing trend in the recent literature. Given that a number of studies assert that flexibility is an essential factor for differentiating lean and agile production there is an important need to explore … Continue reading “Flexibility Differences between Lean and Agile Production in the West Midlands Automotive Supply Chain”
West Midlands socio-economic health check: Labour market
The middle of April has brought us the latest release of the Annual Population Survey. The survey is the most comprehensive socio-economic picture we have for a range of geographies from the national to the local level. In this blog, we will examine the information on labour markets for January to December 2017 and compare … Continue reading “West Midlands socio-economic health check: Labour market”
City-REDI’s West Midlands Databook – let us know what you think about it!
Following the popularity of our West Midlands Databook in 2017, City-REDI will be releasing a 2018 version this summer showcasing the latest regional data. In preparation, we would welcome your feedback. How have you used the Databook? What impact has it had on your work? And what changes, if any, would you like to see … Continue reading “City-REDI’s West Midlands Databook – let us know what you think about it!”
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”