news and views
We provide insights based on our experience and current work and discuss what changes in policy mean for our localities, regions and cities
UK Government: verdict is still out on local economic policy
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐, ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐, ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐?The numbers tell a tale of imbalance, with some regions trailing behind even the historically weaker areas of former East Germany.New government or not, we...
Achieving impact in local economic development
๐ฟ๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐จ๐ช๐ก๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐๐๐๐ฉ?The high-impact investments and activities are those which create jobs and GVA and have low amounts of displacement, duplication (of other support provided elsewhere) and...
“Strategic Pragmatism” – a whole organisation approach to economic development
As we look ahead to the weekend, it might be worthwhile to consider delving into Edgar Schein's Strategic Pragmatism," a book that offers profound insights into the processes of economic transformation.๐ This work isn't merely an examination of Singapore's Economic...
Understanding the megatrends
๐๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ช๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐๐๐จ, ๐ค๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐จ. I deal a lot with these when writing local and regional economic strategies and advising city leaders.Here are some of the most critical megatrends local economies are dealing...
Identifying emerging markets in your locality
Back in 2021, I collaborated with Cambridge Econometrics, Frost & Sullivan, and The Data City to analyse the North East's potential in emerging markets like Fintech, Cybersecurity, Hydrogen, Renewable Energy, and IoT.Our research aimed to identify key players,...
๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ: ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐
UK-based research identifies several megatrends shaping future skills demand: technological advancements, sectoral shifts, evolving business models, demographic changes, and environmental factors.**๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐**Digital skills are...
Unlocking Economic Growth: The Power of Evidence-Based Policy
๐ Unlocking Economic Growth: The Power of Evidence-Based Policy ๐In a world driven by data, the key to successful local and regional economic development lies in evidence-based policy.Clear communication of research findings, a culture that values evaluation, and...
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐?
For me - too many of the UK's recent economic policy announcements have been for the long term (Healthrow Ox-Cam, infrastructure, planning), or are formative and institutional (and therefore vague) - such as industrial strategy, Skills England, and local government...
What have I learnt over the past 30 years? Reflections from a career in economic development
Summer is always a time of reflection for me. The day job quietens down enough for some of the learning and experience over the past year to sink in and gives me time to put it into perspective. Iโm looking forward to deploying my skills, experience and networks โ and...
Competency for local economic development: attracting investment
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฒ๐.๐ผ๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ?In the competitive arena of inward investment, ๐ฎ purely ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐ฐ๐๐...
Applying climate actions to local economic development
๐ฟ Embracing sustainability in local economies is the way forward! ๐ From the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan in Scotland to global projects promoting renewable energy, the shift towards a low carbon economy is gaining momentum. ๐ก Innovation, entrepreneurship, and...
What does the White Paper on English Local Devolution have to say about managing change or delivering inclusive, sustainable economic development?
๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐๐ฐ๐ต! despite the ramifications of changes to funding; fewer, large local councils and more strategic authorities such as Combined Authorities - this is all about institutions, principles, possibilities... meanwhile the economic challenges remain the same, and new...