The UK is making progress to achieve net zero, with the latest findings indicating that UK emissions in 2021 fell below 2019 levels. These efforts, however, are still identified as insufficient for fulfilling the Paris Agreement. To lead the way towards a green and just future, regional and urban areas are developing ambitious strategies to […]
On productivity and Net Zero
The UK government has assigned itself with the tasks of boosting productivity in left-behind areas and transitioning to a net-zero economy. In this blog, Professor Jonatan Pinkse explores how the UK can simultaneously improve its standards of productivity regionally while transitioning to a net-zero economy. His policy recommendations include securing green jobs and not using […]
The north-west’s productivity crisis: Causes, challenges and solutions
The north-west has a long-term productivity problem, with the productivity gap widening over the past 15 years. But there is much that policymakers can do. In this blog, Professor Kieron Flanagan from the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research reflects on findings from the newly released North-West Productivity Forum Green Paper, on the causes of the […]
How can we drive businesses to deliver on Net Zero?
Nearly a fifth of the UK’s carbon emissions are generated by businesses. With global emissions expected to be just 4% lower than in 2019, urgent action is required across all sectors to achieve net zero goals. But how can we push businesses to sustainability when their bottom line is at stake? Here, Professor Jonatan Pinkse, […]
Rise to the top: Socially responsible public procurement
Amidst the social and economic challenges of a post-Brexit, post-COVID landscape, public procurement is gaining increased visibility and legitimacy as a policy tool. Effective 1 January 2021, the UK is positioned to become the first nation in the world to mandate that taxpayer-funded contracts are fully leveraged to maximise social value. A minimum 10% weighting […]
Beyond privacy and security: Opening-up ‘trust’ in digital healthcare
As COVID-19 sees us become increasingly reliant on the digitisation of healthcare data, how have the UK public previously reacted to the use of technology in healthcare? In this blog, originally published in our On Digital Trust publication, Dr Barbara Ribeiro examines previous approaches to integrating data into care, the impact on public trust, and what […]
The retrofitting challenge in Manchester
During January-March 2020, Mateusz Ziembla, together with Dr Elvira Uyarra and Professor Jonatan Pinkse, undertook a study for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), funded by Research England, aimed at analysing the challenges associated with improving the energy efficiency of existing housing stock in order to articulate recommendations for policy action. Cost-effective decarbonisation of domestic […]
Levelling up regional resilience
Dr Marianne Sensier and Dr Elvira Uyarra have conducted research comparing the economic resilience, community wellbeing, sustainability and governance of Greater Manchester and Preston in recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. The financial crisis provided a window of opportunity for some places to develop new arrangements to adapt and diversify regional economies. In this blog, […]
Beyond technology: addressing the social and sustainability challenges of next generation industrial systems
This week’s annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Davos will discuss prospects for ‘Globalisation 4.0’, with participants debating how to match a global economy increasingly driven by new technology and the movement of ideas, people, and goods, with citizens around the world looking to ‘take back control’. Professor Philip Shapira from the Manchester […]