Greater Manchester (GM) is one of a handful of ‘trailblazer’ areas selected to work with government on a local industrial strategy (LIS), due to be signed off in a few weeks’ time. As deliberations enter their final stages, Ruth Lupton, Head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit (IGAU), looks at how the strategy might shape […]
The Long-Term Policy Failures in Education – The Northern Powerhouse and a Fairer Start
The start of the new school year, debates about the value of homework and concerns about how the Northern Powerhouse education fund is being spent are a further reminder of the inequalities in the UK education system. It is a priority that policy makers focus on addressing the long-term inequalities in the education system. As […]
Whiteness, class, and cohesion
The absence of extremism is not automatically evidence of ‘cohesive’ communities. Recent research identifies possibilities for intervention and political change which involves both reframing the problem of ‘cohesion’ and expanding its scope. For a number of years there has been growing interest in the disadvantage experienced by ‘poor white British’ communities. Over a decade since […]
Young people are the solution, not the problem
In order for communities to be strong enough to tackle extremism, the idea of community cohesion needs to extend beyond the current narrow boundaries The labelling of youth as ‘risky’ typically creates conflict between young people and authorities (particularly the police) and generates intergenerational tension as the young person kicks out against the label. The […]
Why engineering in the UK must embrace change
2018 is the Year of Engineering, a UK Government campaign to increase awareness and understanding of what engineers do amongst young people. The reason for the drive is that despite demand, good career opportunities and higher than average earnings, industry struggles to recruit and retain the talent it needs. Many young people, especially women and […]
Manchester has its housing problems – but comparisons to London are off the mark
Tom Arnold, a postgraduate researcher of economic development in Northern England, examines current housing policy in Greater Manchester and the challenge to develop a housing strategy which supports its growing economy whilst simultaneously tackling homelessness and deprivation. Housing policy in Manchester is under scrutiny and campaign groups are concerned that the city centre is becoming […]
Gender inequalities and sexual harassment in global value chains
Dr Lara Bianchi is Research Associate and Coordinator at the Business and Human Rights Catalyst at the Alliance Manchester Business School. With Professor Stephanie Barrientos, Dr Bianchi wrote a briefing paper for the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights 2017 titled ‘Women Workers in Global Supply Chains: Rights and Remedy’. In this blog she […]
Northern Prosperity is National Prosperity – Five Years On
Reflections on policy before the Powerhouse Five years on from the publication of the Northern Economic Futures Commission report on revitalising the UK economy, Ed Cox, Director, IPPR North looks at what progress has been made in the intervening period. The turning point in terms of government interest in the North came when former chancellor […]
What’s not to like about regeneration?
Appraisals of regeneration have previously focused on the benefits such schemes bring, rather than also looking at costs and risks. Here Dr Julia Kasmire and Matjaz Vidmar use Glasgow as a case study to ask who stands to benefit the most from regeneration. Glasgow’s regeneration scheme has promised 15,000 new jobs but it is not […]
Time to address the North-South health divide through proportionate economic growth incentives
New research has revealed widening inequality between death rates in the northern and southern England. Here Professor Iain Buchan explains the significance of his research and calls on policymakers to take action and introduce northern weighting in industrial growth funds to address the North-South health divide. There has been an alarming rise since the mid-90s […]