Professor Diane Coyle and Dr Marianne Sensier have recently conducted research comparing transport infrastructure projects that have used HM Treasury’s Green Book. In this blog they argue that this methodology, alongside political prioritisation of projects in and around London, has reinforced existing success in wealthy, already highly productive parts of the UK. Future infrastructure investment […]
Official Statistics are a public good – they need to be richer
This week, the Office for National Statistics held its Economic Forum at The University of Manchester. Here, Professor Diane Coyle reflects on the event and the case for more regional statistics. The city devolution deals mean the new combined authorities around the country have a pressing need for the statistics relevant to their geographies The […]
Industrial Strategy white paper – Welcome progress, but problems remain
On Monday 27th November, the UK government published its long-await Industrial Strategy white paper. Here, Policy@Manchester Co-Director and member of the independent Industrial Strategy Commission, Professor Diane Coyle, reflects on what the document gets right and where challenges remain if the UK economy is to secure a prosperous and productive future for all. The Government’s […]
Seven foundations for a stronger economy
The independent Industrial Strategy Commission has issued its emerging findings. Commissioner Prof Diane Coyle outlines how the UK can address some of its longstanding economic weaknesses and deliver meaningful prosperity for everyone. Previous government intervention, which has been more accidental than purposeful, has not delivered a strong or fair economy Political consensus is key in […]
The rise of the robots – now’s the time to talk
The pace of change in technology shows no sign of slowing down, and as artificial intelligence develops, ever-more tasks that were previously carried out by humans could be done by machines. We have seen technological change before, and history tells us that there will be winners and losers. We must prepare economic and employment policies […]
Crunch Time – Industrial Strategy and our economic future
The Government’s Industrial Strategy will be the flagship domestic reform programme of Theresa May’s administration. As Brexit realities begin to bite, it could also make the difference between success and failure across entire sectors of the UK economy. On the launch day of our joint independent Industrial Strategy Commission with the University of Sheffield, Policy@Manchester […]
The productivity puzzle
Last week, policy@manchester hosted a roundtable on productivity with representatives from HM Treasury, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and academics from The University of Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds. Here, Professor Diane Coyle reflects on the discussion and lays out her views on what needs to be done to boost the UK’s economic productivity. If the pre-financial […]
Do the new GDP figures prove that ‘all’s well that ends well’ for the Brexiteers?
This week, the first official GDP figures since the vote to leave the European Union were released by the Office for National Statistics. Although there was a slow down in the economic growth from 0.7% to 0.5%, the figures were stronger than some pessimistic economists had predicted. Professor Diane Coyle uses a Brexit lens to […]
Brexit and London’s dominance: powering up the engines of growth
Now that the shock of the Brexit vote has diminished, what next for our economy, trade and the social and regional divisions that the referendum revealed? Diane Coyle says it’s time to redress the massive imbalance between London and the rest of the country and create a multi-engine economy. Claim and counter-claim It has […]
Post-Brexit ideas to tackle the disillusioned Leave voters’ concerns
While immigration has been cited as a key issue for those who voted Leave, economists say the evidence suggests its effects on jobs and wages of UK-born citizens are small. Diane Coyle offers some policy measures for a future chancellor that could more effectively help those left feeling angry and disillusioned by years of stagnation […]