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Tag Archives for: "productivity"
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How to kickstart productivity growth in the UK’s towns and cities?

By Marianne Sensier, Kate Penney and Michael Francis Filed Under: Devo, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, Levelling up, UK economy, Urban Posted: May 9, 2025

The UK’s urban centres are key to driving up economic and productivity growth. However, many post-industrial towns and cities are underperforming. In this article, Dr Marianne Sensier, Dr Kate Penney and Michael Francis from The Productivity Institute, describe their findings from a place-based study of Rochdale and explain what the government and metro mayors can […]

Tagged With: advanced materials, AMBS, Business Energy & Industry, devolution, economy, GMCA, Greater Manchester, inclusive growth, inequalities, innovation, Levelling Up, local government, productivity, transport

Women working from a home office, looking at a monitor, with laptop open to her left.

Working at home or living at work?

Headshot of Afshan Iqbal By Afshan Iqbal Filed Under: All posts, Work Posted: April 30, 2025

Changes in working patterns were accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote and hybrid work arrangements have resulted in expectations on employers to reconsider their business continuity and operational strategies. The impacts of these new working patterns on employees’ physical and mental health are still being explored. In this article, Dr Afshan Iqbal assesses the challenges […]

Tagged With: AMBS, digital, infrastructure, mental health, productivity, welfare, work & pensions

Plastic bottles which have been crushed together into cubes.

Plastics policies are changing the game—but are SMEs being left behind?

Headshot of authorMaria Sharmina By Adeyemi Adelekan and Maria Sharmina Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Environment, Growth and Inclusion, Renewables Posted: February 6, 2025

The UK plastics policy landscape is undergoing major changes. While consultations stress the importance of avoiding harm to SMEs, policies often lack concrete measures against such harm. Research by the University of Manchester indicates that current and forthcoming plastics policies, shaped by these consultations, would affect stakeholders across the plastic supply chain differently, with SMEs […]

Tagged With: Business Energy & Industry, economy, environment, inclusive growth, net zero, productivity, sustainability, Tyndall

The beach at Margate, in Kent, at sunset. In the background, a tower block stands behind the Dreamland theme park.

A landscape of need: mapping community resilience in England

By Christine Camacho and Luke Munford Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth Posted: October 11, 2024

Community resilience is a marker of how well communities can handle and recover from difficult events. It is referred to in various resilience framework policies; but how is it measured, and how can it be used to target support? Here, Christine Camacho and Dr Luke Munford outline their work in developing a new measure – […]

Tagged With: ARC-GM, british politics, communities, devolution, economy, Health inequalities, housing, inclusive growth, inequalities, labour market, Levelling Up, local government, poverty, productivity, SHS, urban

Woman delivering medications

Don’t worry about the future, what about the ‘now of work’?

By Mat Johnson and Eva Herman Filed Under: All posts, Growth and Inclusion, UK economy, Work Posted: March 5, 2024

Amongst all the competing predictions about what the future of work might hold, the challenges of achieving decent work in the foundational economy have been largely overlooked. Here, Dr Mat Johnson and Dr Eva Herman argue that the focus should be on making tangible improvements to the working lives of those in the frontline roles that keep […]

Tagged With: #WorkingFutures, Health & Social Care, labour market, productivity, technology, work & pensions

Planning ahead: A multi-sector approach to net zero

Mathaios Panteli By Mathaios Panteli, Eduardo Alejandro Martínez Ceseña and Julien Harou Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Environment, Inclusive Growth, Renewables, Research and development, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: December 13, 2023

With climate change increasing some resources’ uncertainty – and global development making others scarcer and more interdependent – society requires improved planning and policy frameworks to deliver a secure, equitable and resilient transformation to net zero. In this article from our publication On Resilience, Professor Julien Harou, Dr Eduardo A. Martínez Ceseña and Professor Mathaios Panteli explore how […]

Tagged With: Business Energy & Industry, energy, inclusive growth, innovation, productivity, technology

Mapping the divide: Learning from the landscape of local economic performance

By Cecilia Wong and Helen Zheng Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, Levelling up Posted: October 12, 2023

Inequality can be sliced many ways. A key aspect of the UK’s picture on inequality falls starkly along spatial lines of geography. So how can mapping spatial differences make policymaking more effective and targeted? In this article, from our Power in Place publication, Professor Cecilia Wong and Dr Wei Zheng discuss the importance of spatial […]

Tagged With: #PowerinPlace, british politics, Business Energy & Industry, communities, devolution, digital, Digital Divide, economy, inclusive growth, inequalities, infrastructure, labour market, Levelling Up, local government, MUI, productivity, SEED

Re-skilling places: A new approach for reducing regional inequalities

Headshot of Eric Lybeck By Eric Lybeck Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Devo, Education, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, Levelling up Posted: October 5, 2023

Current models of education and social mobility take an individualist approach that encourage young people from rural areas and small towns to move to city centres to obtain qualifications and skills. But this approach worsens regional inequalities, as places outside of urban centres are left behind. In this article, from our Power in Place publication, […]

Tagged With: #PowerinPlace, Business Energy & Industry, Children & Young People, communities, devolution, economy, education, GMCA, Greater Manchester, inclusive growth, Industry 4.0, inequalities, labour market, Levelling Up, local government, MIE, productivity, schools, urban, work & pensions

Ill-health and deprivation: How we can address health inequalities in left behind neighbourhoods

By Luke Munford Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: September 18, 2023

We have long known that the health of people living in deprived areas is worse than the national average. But this raises important questions, such as how big is the gap? Is it narrowing or growing over time? Are some deprived places worse off than others? And how do health inequalities affect economic performance? In […]

Tagged With: communities, devolution, economy, Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Health & Social Care, Health inequalities, inequalities, Levelling Up, local government, Power in Place, productivity, public health

Turning gadgets into productivity

Bart van Ark By Bart van Ark Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, Levelling up, OnProductivity, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted: December 13, 2022

The Industrial Revolution brought about great economic success in the north of the United Kingdom that translated into a social, cultural and urban transformation. However, the Digital Revolution of today has not had the same impact on the UK, and particularly, the north. In this blog, Professor Bart van Ark explores how and why productivity […]

Tagged With: digital, digital revolution, economy, Greater Manchester, inclusive growth, Industry 4.0, innovation, investment, OnProductivity, productivity, technology

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