Publications from City-REDI

Demonstrating the Economic Impacts of Civic Universities

November 2024 

This report reviews the different approaches for understanding a university's economic impact in place.  Universities are not fully embedding their civic economic impact within their strategic framework and decision making. An economic impact assessment should be utilised by universities as an evidence base within their strategy and decision making for improving upon their civic economic agendas. Going forward, civic university economic impact assessments need to be reframed as a dynamic, contextualised exercise that is part of the wider strategic decision-making process.

Authors: Johannes Read, Alice Pugh, Sara Hassan and Rebecca Riley

Find out more about City-REDI's work with the National Civic Impact Accelerator. 

Civic Universities and Economic Impact: A Scoping Review

November 2024 

This report reviews the different approaches for understanding a universities’ economic impact in place. It shows the different analytical frameworks for universities to improve their economic impact and role. This includes policymakers, university leaders, and researchers, as well as anyone interested in learning how universities influence economic outcomes.

The frameworks can be used for strategic planning, community engagement, or academic studies, and equip users with the tools to map out the economic impact of universities in a structured way.

Authors: Johannes Read, Alice Pugh, Anne Green and Rebecca Riley

Find out more about City-REDI's work with the National Civic Impact Accelerator. 

The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by City-REDI, University of Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and a high-quality resource for informing research, policy and investment decisions.

Find out more

Leveraging Public Procurement to Drive Local Innovation

October 2024, Dr Chloe Billing

As we navigate an increasingly complex world, the strategic use of public procurement presents a unique opportunity to address pressing societal needs whilst simultaneously fostering innovation and economic growth. This research offers in-depth analysis and recommendations for harnessing public procurement as a catalyst for innovation. 

Find out more

Policy briefing: addressing the local authority financial crises
September 2024, Matt Lyons and Kurt Kratena.

A policy briefing by City-REDI on the local authority financial crises. Using the Socio-Economic Impact Model for the UK (SEIM-UK), a multi-region input-output model, researchers analysed Birmingham City Council's (BCC) plans to raise taxes and make a collection of spending cuts to address a £300 million shortfall.

The analysis finds that all actions tend to hit households on lowest incomes the hardest. However, the impact of council tax rises are found to be the least regressive option.

Policy recommendation: Local Government should consider the distributional effect of their actions to address funding crises. Our analysis suggests that council tax rises may be the least regressive option.

Find out more about SEIM-UK, which was used for the analysis of this policy briefing.  

Local Labour Markets, Workforce Planning and Underemployment
5 August 2024, Donald Houston, Colin Lindsay, Robert Stewart and George Byrne

Bridging the West Midlands’ Digital Skills Gap: A Roadmap Towards a Digital Skills Innovation District
June 2024, Anne Green, Abigail Taylor, Vickie Pargetter, James Sharp, Leila Seyedagha-Calderón

Find out more about the project.

Impacts of Long COVID on workers: A longitudinal study of employment exit, work hours and mental health in the UK
June 2024, Darja Reuschke, Donald Houston and Paul Sissons

9DF: A nine-dimensional framework for community engagement

May 2024, Lucy Natarajan and Sara Hassan

Community engagement lies at the heart of participatory planning and development initiatives worldwide. It represents a concerted effort to involve local residents, stakeholders, and communities in decision-making processes that directly impact their lives. 

However, the landscape of community engagement is complex, fraught with challenges, power differentials, and contextual nuances that demand careful consideration. In this exploration, the authors delve into the core concepts of community engagement through the lens of a nine-dimensional framework (9DF), synthesising insights from participatory planning literature and empirical data collected and co-produced by USE-IT! Community Researchers contributing to the UK2070 commission’s work.

Find out more about this work - USE-IT! Unlocking Social and Economic Innovation Together. 

A review of the economic and social value produced through funding PhD students
April 2024

This report explores the extensive impacts of PhD study, from enhancing university operations to spillover benefits for society, industry, and personal development. It emphasises the civic role of universities, particularly in relation to place-based strategies and industry relationships. With over £3bn funded into PhD study in 2022/23 by UK Research and Innovation, the report highlights the significant returns for individuals, the Exchequer, and university-industry collaborations. It shares findings from a rapid evidence review on the economic and social impacts of PhDs, advocating for the importance of PhD study within a wider civic mission.

Authors: Johannes Read, Alice Pugh, George Bramley and Rebecca Riley

Find out more about City-REDI's work with the National Civic Impact Accelerator. 

Improving economic statistics in the creative industries: Towards multi-regional creative industries satellite accounts
April 2024

A report for the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre which proposing a comprehensive approach to capturing the true value of creative industries at a regional level. 

Authors:
Dr Matt Lyons, City-REDI and Kevin Connolly, University of Strathclyde. 

Find out more about City-REDI's work with the Creative Policy and Evidence Centre and our Socio-Economic Impact Model for the UK. 

From Vision to Legacy: The Power of Partnership 

A report assessing the legacy of the now defunct Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. 

Authors: 

Anne Green

Published: 

March 2024

Investing in regional equality – four English examples

A report looking at the nine key lessons learned from international cities who have innovated to successfully overcome significant social and economic inequalities in recent years and whether they can be applied to four English cities. 

Authors: 

Abigail Taylor, Hannes Read, Anne Green and Jeffrey Matsu (CIPFA). 

Published: 

February 2024

Find out more about this work - Levelling Up. 

West Midlands Economic Impact Monitor 

The monitor produced on a monthly basis and highlights economic developments in the West Midlands and the UK. 

Authors: 

Rebecca Riley, Anne Green and Alice Pugh

Published: 

Since 2020. 

The Monitor began life as the West Midlands Economic Monitor with a focus on the West Midlands. 

UPEN 2023 Impact Report 
Contributor: Bec Riley, January 2024

Inequality
Chapter by Donald Houston, January 2024

The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and a high-quality resource for informing research, policy and investment decisions.

View and download the Birmingham Economic Review 2023.

Authors: 

Edited by Alice Pugh and Emily Stubbs (Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce)

Published:

October 2023

The Role of University STEM Assets in Improving Local Firm Performance and Local Economic Growth
Dr Chloe Billing, Dr Pei-Yu Yuan, Dr Carolin Ioramashvili, Dr Juliane Schwarz, Dr Magda Cepeda Zorrilla, and Professor Simon Collinson, February 2023

Economic Inactivity and Employment: the over 50s
Professor Anne Green, February 2023

An Early Assessment of the Economic Impact of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022
Dr Matthew Lyons, January 2023

The Role of the University in Enhancing Creative Clusters
Dr James Davies, January 2023

The Importance of Examining Labour Market Flows
Rebecca Riley, January 2023

The Birmingham Economic Review 2022
Kelvin Humphreys, January 2023

Homelessness in the West Midlands Prediction Tool
Maryna Ramcharan, January 2023

R&D Workforce and Skills
Dr Kostas Kollydas, January 2023

Find out more about the work of the Midlands Engine Economic Observatory. 

Megatrends in the Midlands: 2023
Matt Lyons, Alice Pugh, Charlotte Hoole, Anne Green and Bec Riley, November 2023

Constraints and enablers of regional environmental policy: governance challenges in England and Wales
Charlotte Hoole, December 2023

The Democratic Foundations of the Just City: Key Insights From a European Comparative Study

April 2022 - Oliver Dlabac, Roman Zwicky,Charlotte Hoole,Eric Chu & Liam O’Farrell

This project investigates the roles of leadership, stakeholder cooperation and democratic scrutiny in different institutional and regulatory settings for pursuing urban planning policies that arguably contribute more or less to the ideal of the Just City, defined as a city that mitigates ghettoization, gentrification and maintains access to affordable housing. 

Related blogs:

The Democratic Foundations of the Just City: Key Insights From a European Comparative Study
Liam O'Farrell, Oliver Dlabac and Roman Zwicky, Eric Chu, Charlotte Hoole, April 2022

The System Is the System, Isn’t It?”: The Case for a Just Devolution
Liam O'Farrell, Roman Zwicky, April 2022

The Democratic Foundations of the Just City
Liam O'Farrell, Charlotte Hoole, April 2022

Midlands Engine Observatory Academic Insights: Job Flexibility - Opportunities for the Midlands Engine
Abigail Taylor. March 2022

Midlands Engine Observatory Academic Insights: A ‘Just Transition’ towards ‘Green jobs’
Alice Pugh, March 2022

Infrastructure: Connecting Places
Ben Britain, March 2022

The Economic Impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on the Midlands Automotive Sector
Raquel Ortega-Argiles, Matt Lyons, Saad Ehsan, March 2022

Regional patterns of Graduate mobility
Kostas Kollydas, March 2022

Regional R&D and Innovation
Simon Collinson, March 2022

Find out more about the work of the Midlands Engine Economic Observatory. 

The university as a Just anchor: universities, anchor networks and participatory research
Liam O'Farrell, Sara Hassan and Charlotte Hoole, May 2022

Find out more about this work - USE-IT! Unlocking Social and Economic Innovation Together. 

The Future Business District

A set of reports for the Colmore Business District looking at the long-term impact of Covid-19 on city centres and asking what city centres can do to remain successful places.  

Authors: 

Anne Green, Rebecca Riley, Alex Smith, Ben Brittain, Hannes Read

Published: 

October 2021

The Future Business District - Summary

Authors:

 Anne Green, Rebecca Riley, Alex Smith, Ben Brittain, Hannes Read

Published: 

October 2021

Find out more about the project. 

The Birmingham Economic Review 2021 was produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and is a high quality resource for organisations seeking to understand the city to inform research, policy or investment decisions.

View and download the report.

A project funded by the UK Space Agency to support the development of a local space cluster in the West Midlands. 

The West Midlands Space Cluster Development: Business Case
May 2021

Authors: Chloe Billing and Robert Bevan (Framework Innovation)

The West Midlands Space Sector Strengths, Underpinning Assets, and Market Opportunities 
March 2021

Author: Chloe Billing et al

The West Midlands Space Cluster Development Programme: University Asset Mapping
March 2021

Author: Alice Pugh

The West Midlands Space Cluster Development Programme: Regional LEP and Policy Overview
March 2021

Author: Ben Brittain

Find out more about the Local Space Cluster Development Support Programme. 

What does it take to “level up” places? Evidence from international experience
January 2021

Authors: Dr Abigail Taylor, Skye Sampson and Anna Romaniuk

Find out more about this project

Achieving levelling-up: The structures and processes needed
November 2020

Authors: Simon Collinson, Charlotte Hoole, Charles Seaford, Ben Glover, Anastasios Kitsos, Diana Gutierrez Posada, Helen Tilley, Ananya Mukherjee, Nigel Gilbert, Jack Newman, Nigel Driffield

Find out more about this work - Local Institutions, Productivity, Sustainability and Inclusivity Trade-offs (LIPSIT)

Improving Understanding and Measurement of Productivity
October 2020

Authors: Dr Fengjie Pan, Professor Simon Collinson, Professor Anne Green, Dr Magda Cepeda Zorrilla

Productivity is considered to have a direct impact on individual business success and therefore is a critical determinant of economic growth. However, understanding what productivity means varies across economic sectors and these sectoral differences in understanding productivity are also linked to differences in prioritising what is measured, and in turn, differences in actions taken to improve the firm performance. In order to improve productivity levels, it is essential to have a clear understanding of what productivity means and how can we measure it. We are seeking to address this is the gap in knowledge in our study by exploring the measurement of productivity from the managers’ perspective and also the measures used and the actions taken to improve it.

In this policy brief, we are reporting the findings of our study which collected data from 300 managers’ firms in the West Midlands region, across the Business Professional and Financial Services (BPFS); Advanced Manufacturing (AM); Retail (R); and Hospitality (H) sectors. This brief provides a list of policy implications of the variation in understanding productivity and concludes with a series of recommendations for policymakers.

Find out more about our work on Productivity -  Productivity and Prosperity: Inclusive Growth for the West Midlands. 

Which kinds of firms contribute most to regional growth? 
September 2020 - Dr Fengjie Pan, Professor Simon Collinson, Professor Anne Green, Dr Magda Cepeda Zorrilla

This policy briefing look at why some firms and sectors make a larger contribution to local and regional economies than others.  

Find out more about our work on Productivity -  Productivity and Prosperity: Inclusive Growth for the West Midlands. 

City-REDI - WMREDI 2020 Review
September 2020
Authors: Contributions from the whole City-REDI team.

This report provides an overview of City-REDI and WMREDI's work up to 2020.

Understanding the Policy-Making Processes Behind Local Growth Strategies in England
July 2020

Authors: Anna Romaniuk, Catherine Osborne, Emily Rainsford and Abigail Taylor

Find out more about this project. 

Rising to the UK’s Skills Challenges
June 2020
Authors: Dr Abigail Taylor, Professor Anne Green and Hayley Lyons

Rising to the UK's Skill Challenges Conclusion Summary
June 2020
Authors: Professor Anne Green and Dr Abigail Taylor

Find out more about this project - Industrial Strategy Council Skills and Places Secondment. 

A response to the APPG on Housing and Social Mobility’s Call for Evidence is based on the findings of the Democratic Foundations of the Just City project
June 2020

Author: Liam O'Farrell

Skills System International Case Studies
April 2020
Author: Dr Abigail Taylor

Find out more about this project. 

Workplace Perspectives on Skills

April 2020
Authors: Professor Anne Green and Dr Abigail Taylor

Find out more about this project. 

Governance and Urban Development in Birmingham

February 2020, Liam O'Farrell

The purpose of this report was to consider Birmingham’s urban development since the new millennium and understand how governance, housing and urban planning in the city has changed. Much has been written of Birmingham’s decline in the late twentieth century, and this research considers whether this is a new chapter in the city’s history.

Furthermore, this report sought to understand the role of local, regional and national government in managing Birmingham’s urban development; the importance of organisational leadership; and the extent to which communities themselves have decision-making power regarding the changes confronting them. It also sought to establish whether Birmingham is merely dependent on structural forces, such as the national institutional and regulatory environment, or whether urban political leaders have the power and the agency to enforce planning policies that are in line with the ideal of the “Just City”.

Regional Productivity Differences, Skills and Inclusive Growth: Survey Findings
February 2020

Authors: Chloe Billing, Magda Rosario Cepeda Zorrilla, Simon Collinson, Anne Green, Fengjie Pan

This report outlines key findings from a survey of 300 firms in the West Midlands region, across the business professional and financial services; advanced manufacturing; retail; and hospitality sectors. 

The central aim of the overall project is to identify local factors that underlie and explain regional differences in productivity, with a particular focus on mismatches between the supply of and demand for specific skills. Additionally, it considers key trade-offs between productivity improvement and inclusive growth goals. 

Find out more about this project - Productivity and Prosperity: Inclusive Growth for the West Midlands.

In 2019, City-REDI compiled a snapshot of key data for the West Midlands. Drawing on the success of the 2018 databook, the 2019-2020 edition provides up-to-date labour market profiles for the West Midlands Region, West Midlands Combined Authority, three Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and over 30 Local Authorities. Together, the booklet provides easy to access data on the region’s productivity, population, employment, skills, and housing.

Download a copy of the West Midland Databook 2019-20.

The Birmingham Economic Review 2019 was produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and is a high quality resource for organisations seeking to understand the city to inform research, policy or investment decisions.

Download the Birmingham Economic Review 2019

Download a summary of the Birmingham Economic Review 2019

Policy Briefing: Commercialisation: Bridging the University-Industry Gap
October 2019

Authors: Chloe Billing, Simon Collinson, George Bramley, Elio Di Muccio, Benhildah Rumbwere Dube and Maximilian Margreiter.

Find out more about this project. 

Policy Briefing: Brexit Employment Risks by Occupation
May 2019

Authors: Pieter IJtsma, Bart Los

This policy briefing was part of the “What are the economic impacts of Brexit on the UK, its sectors, its cities and its regions” project which was part of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative. 

The Realities, Challenges and Strengths of the External Funding Environment at LEP level
March 2019

Author: Abigail Taylor

Find out more about this project. 

Interregional inequalities and UK sub-national governance responses to Brexit
February 2019

Authors: Chloe Billing, Philip McCann and Raquel Ortega-Argiles

The Journal of Economic Geography. 

This article was part of the “What are the economic impacts of Brexit on the UK, its sectors, its cities and its regions” project which was part of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative. 

This report provides a snapshot of key data for the West Midlands including labour market profiles for the West Midlands Region, West Midlands Combined Authority, three Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and over 30 Local Authorities. The booklet provides easy to access data on the region’s productivity, population, employment, skills, and housing.

Download a copy of the West Midland Databook 2018-19.

The Birmingham Economic Review 2018 was produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and is a high quality resource for organisations seeking to understand the city to inform research, policy or investment decisions.

Download the Birmingham Economic Review 2018

Download a summary of the Birmingham Economic Review 2018

Rural Workforce Issues in Health and Care

October 2018, Anne Green and George Bramley, University of Birmingham, and Ivan Annibal and Jessica Sellick, Rose Regeneration. 

The National Health Service (NHS) and social care face significant challenges in improving the quality of care for patients today and in the future by ensuring a workforce in the right numbers with the right skills, values and behaviours in the right place at the right time. 

This report aims to apply a rural lens to the workforce challenges facing the NHS and social care in England in recognition that securing the supply of staff that the health and care system needs to deliver high quality care now and in the future is crucial.

In October 2018, the report was launched at the House of Commons. 

Local Wealth Building in Birmingham and Beyond: A New Economic Mainstream

July 2018

City-REDI, University of Birmingham carried out research for a project being led by the Centre for Local Economic Strategy (CLES)which contributed to this report. The research focusses on local anchor institutions including the City Council, the University of Birmingham, the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner, local hospitals, housing providers and Further Education Colleges. 

City-REDI provided:

• An analysis of the salaries and residence of the staff of the university to look at the levels of economic influence the university has on places
• Mapping of this data against IMD to understand the impact on deprived communities
• Mapping of procurement spend by the university within the region and wider economy
• We continue to represent the University on the delivery of the anchor institution objectives

An investigation into the foundations of productivity for business, professional and financial services in West Midlands Combined Authority area

June 2018, Rebecca Riley, Anne Green, BPS Birmingham and the Black Country Consortium. 

This research was commissioned by the West Midlands Combined Authority for the Skills and Productivity Commission, as part of developing a local Industrial Strategy. 

The Productivity & Skills Commission has been set the task of understanding the true extent of the productivity challenge in the West Midlands, identifying the component causes and making recommendations to address the issues identified. Within the Commission, sector representatives lead the workstreams relating to the identification of productivity challenges, opportunities and recommendations, and this report covers the output of this activity for the BPFS sector.

The aim was to create an evidence-based strategy to set future industrial and regional strategy to grow the BPFS Sector. The research aims to investigate the limiting factors to inclusive growth locally, and ways in which providers of professional and business services can potentially help address these.

Measuring Success – review of indicators and recommendations
May 2018

Authors: Rebecca Riley, Kostas Kollydas, Kieran Collinson

This project focused on the delivery of an assessment of the performance review indicators in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Annual Economic Review. The Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) sets out bold economic ambitions for the region, and a shared determination that all our citizens will feel the benefits of that success. 

This review was commissioned by the WMCA on behalf of the Skills and Productivity Commission. It was designed to support the development of clear thinking about the indicators we use to measure the impact of the Skills and Productivity Commission’s recommendations; to posit a logic chain from intervention to outcome which will help inform activities going forward.

The findings of this review were presented to the Commission on 20th April 2018 and the report represents a written record of that presentation and subsequent discussion. It is important to note that this has been a collaborative piece of work with Black Country Consortium and the review process was a dynamic research in action process. This work has been built on iteratively and continues to do so with the development of dashboards being an ongoing process.

Find out more about this work - West Midlands Combined Authority - productivity & skills. 

Raising productivity in low-wage sectors and reducing poverty

April 2018, Anne Green, Paul Sissons, Amir Qamar and Kevin Broughton.

Low pay is a critical social issue and low wage sectors contribute to the productivity gap between the UK and comparable countries. Raising productivity in such sectors is one possible mechanism through which the prevalence of low pay might be reduced. Better understanding the relationship between productivity and pay, particularly for low earners, is therefore critical in addressing the low pay problem. 

This report looks at the role productivity plays in employers’ wage-setting decision-making in low-wage sectors. It asks how employers think about,understand and measure productivity and what role productivity plays in employers’ wage-setting decisions among other factors. With the National Living Wage emerging as being of prime importance in wage-settingdecisions, the key question is: How can productivity be improved to justifyincreases in wages?

You can find out more about this work in these blogs:

Raising Productivity in Low-wage Sectors and Reducing Poverty
City-REDI Blog, 2 May 2018

Boosting Productivity to Reduce Low Pay
City-REDI Blog, 9 April 2018

Policy Briefing: What does poverty really look like in the UK? 
March 2018

Author: Deniz Sevinc

In 2012, the UK had a higher poverty rate than most EU member states. While poverty rates have declined since then, this progress is now at risk since policy changes under the 2017 Autumn Budget. UK Poverty 2017 underlines that “overall 14 million people live in poverty in the UK – over one in five of the population. This is made up of eight million working-age adults, four million children and 1.9 million pensioners”. Despite the government’s efforts to secure a more socially inclusive society with lower levels of multiple deprivation, the UK’s mixed record in tackling poverty should not come as a surprise. The integrated nature of well-being produces difficulties in evaluating poverty levels. One issue is the neglect of human life aspects whilst over-emphasising the importance of income.

Thus, determining who the most deprived social groups are and in which life domains they are experiencing deprivation is crucial for generating more effective, holistic poverty reduction initiatives combined with social protection intervention prioritization. It is this challenge that is explored in this policy briefing, attempting to shift the focus of societal development from an income-oriented to a people-centric approach by making the case for an anti-poverty UK agenda that gradually works towards an appreciation of the multidimensionality of well-being. 

Fiscal devolution An era of opportunity
January 2018

Author: Tasos Kitsos 

City-REDI has prepared this brief to inform the debate on fiscal devolution. The UK has traditionally been a fiscally centralised system with most of the local authority income coming from government transfers. The acknowledgment of the importance of place and local leadership in policies such as the industrial strategy, devo deals and the budget, together with the challenges of delivering Brexit provide an opportunity for local government to argue for more fiscal powers to generate local inclusive growth.

The briefing paper suggests that:

• Local government should investigate the opportunities for greater financial freedoms as well as the threats, risks, and impacts.
• Devolution should be a step by step approach in which local authorities prove they can be prudent and more efficient local decision makers.
• National government should support the process by diversifying the range of options/tools and pooling the risk for reasonable experimentation.

The continental divide? Economic exposure to Brexit in regions and countries on both sides of The Channel
December 2017

Authors: Wen Chen, Bart Los, Philip McCann, Raquel Ortega-Argilés, Mark Thissen, Frank van Oort

In Papers for Regional Science. 

This article was part of the “What are the economic impacts of Brexit on the UK, its sectors, its cities and its regions” project which was part of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative. 

Policy Briefing: An Assessment of Brexit Risks for 54 Industries: Most Services Industries are also Exposed 2017
December 2017

Authors: Los, B., Chen, W., McCann, P., Ortega-Argiles, R.

This policy briefing was part of the “What are the economic impacts of Brexit on the UK, its sectors, its cities and its regions” project which was part of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative. 

Policy breifing: Economic resilience - addressing the challenges to come
October 2017

Authors: Tasos Kitsos

Economic crises have happened long before the great recession of 2008 and unfortunately will happen again in the future. Maybe not as bad as the 2008 one but they will happen. We can spend years discussing why recessions happen and we can use plenty of insights in psychology, economics as well as ideological arguments.

This policy briefing is not about this. It is about preparing to face the negative consequences of a downturn, commonly known as resilience. With what we know, the policy recommendations for increasing local economic resilience are to:

Recognise and promote the role of anchor institutions such as universities for increasing skills locally.
- Identify the importance of amenities for attracting talent in different areas.
- Motivate university-industry collaborations and cross-industry innovation
- Create a place-based industrial strategy that will use local assets and pursue resilience enhancing growth.
- Fund further research on resilience and promote the creation of local plans that explicitly address resilience.
- Provide leadership guidance and foster effective institutions to cope with external shocks.

This report provides a snapshot of key data for the West Midlands including labour market profiles for the West Midlands Region, West Midlands Combined Authority, three Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and over 30 Local Authorities. The booklet provides easy to access data on the region’s productivity, population, employment, skills, and housing.

Download a copy of the West Midland Databook 2017-18.

The Birmingham Economic Review 2017 was produced by the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, with contributions from the West Midlands Growth Company. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and is a high quality resource for organisations seeking to understand the city to inform research, policy or investment decisions.

Download the Birmingham Economic Review 2017 

Download a summary of the Birmingham Economic Review 2017

Smart Cities
September 2017

Author: Simon Collinson and Amir Qamar 

This policy briefing looks at smart cities. Given that by 2050 approximately two thirds of the world’s total population will be living in cities, we have to make cities creative, innovative and sustainable places to do business. This emphasises the importance of ‘smart cities’, and we recommend the following:

• Developing the right kinds of skills and expertise is central to unlocking opportunities for growth in most city-regions, but particularly Birmingham’s.
• This refers mainly to the skills and talent to drive up productivity and innovation in firms and regional organisations. But analytical skills and expertise that can help us improve how we monitor and shape the growth of the region are also critical. Resources and incentives to upskill the Birmingham city-region in both ways are needed. This includes steps to improve the retention of skills within the region.
• Investment is required to make large volumes of data reliable, useful and accessible. Investment is also required for real-time data to be distributed and processed in smart ways, to optimise decision-making.
• Being smart and connected inevitably means that organisations, as well as individuals, are more susceptible to cyber security attacks, so we must invest more into software and systems that make us more resilient to such attacks.
• Policymakers and the governance infrastructures they rely on must view each of the components of a smart city as a single, interrelated system, as opposed to dividing it into component parts (housing, transport, skills etc.) and focusing on each separately.

Fuelling City-Regions, why skills matter
July 2017

Authors: Professor Simon Collinson, Professor Anne Green and Rebecca Riley

Issues relating to skills are at the forefront of topical debates about economic prosperity, productivity and inclusive growth. While policy makers at national and sub-national levels have long been concerned with skills levels, skills shortage and skills gaps, devolution and the development of an Industrial Strategy recognising the importance of place have provided even greater impetus to debates about skills at city-region level.

This City-REDI policy briefing sets out why skills matter, with a particular focus on the situation in the city-region covered by the West Midlands Combined Authority. Subsequent policy briefings will focus on other issues relating to skills, including skills mismatches and deficiencies, and skills implications of sectoral approaches to inclusive growth.

Policy briefing: City-regions need great universities as strong and committed ‘anchor institutions'
June 2017

Authors: Charlotte Hoole and Simon Collinson

Following a discussion of the policy context and the role of universities as ‘anchor institutions’ within their host region, the briefing puts forward a number of policy recommendations;

• Promote further the role of universities as a source of regional skills and expertise, and encouraging links between teaching programmes and local organisations.
• Provide funding incentives for research collaborations with other regional universities and corporate partners in areas aligned with regional economic growth plans. This can assist in the development of regional specialisations as well as more competitive, high-wage local economies.
• Provide funding incentives for combining STEM capabilities with business and management expertise to help translate science and technology into new products and services.
• Review local procurement guidelines in view of increasing the capacity of universities to support small, local firms and use their buying power to support local disadvantaged socio-economic groups.
• Reward research that has policy impact and that can be applied to the local setting.
• Incentivise contributions to local arts and creative sectors which play an important role in retaining graduates and attracting inward investment.

The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce partnered with City-REDI and the Marketing Birmingham Regional Observatory to produce a report examining the economy of Birmingham. 

Download the Birmingham Economic Review 2016

Economic resilience in Great Britain: the crisis impact and its determining factors for local authority districts

November 2016, Tasos Kitsos and Paul Bishop

The 2008 recession has had a prolonged and varying effect both across and within countries. This paper studies the crisis impact on Great Britain’s Local Authority Districts (LADs) using the concept of economic resilience. This country is an interesting case study as the impact varied significantly among LADs. The focus is on employment, and a new method is proposed for comparing pre- and post-recession conditions in order to assess the recession impact. The influence of a number of determining factors is examined, and the study finds a significant effect for initial economic conditions, human capital, age structure, urbanisation and geography. Policy makers need to take into account subnational differences in these factors in order to design and implement better targeted policies.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) commissioned a new, bespoke economic modelling framework which was delivered in summer 2016.  

The Dynamic Economic Impact Model (DEIM) is a best-in-class regional model which provides a robust mechanism to measure the economic impact of investments in a spatial context. City-REDI were a partner in the consortia along with KPMG (lead), and David Simmonds Consultancy ltd, and we led on the development of the skills and business support elements of the model.

Strategic Economic Plan - Technical appendix, DEIM
July 2016. 

Strategic Economic Plan - Technical appendix, WMCA Performance Management Framework
July 2016. 

West Midlands Combined Authority - Strategic Economic Plan
July 2016.