Join us to mark the launch of two books featuring discussion from the authors alongside commentary from an esteemed panel including Dr. Arianna Giovannini (De Montfort University), Dr. Neil McInroy (CLES) and Prof. Kevin Morgan (Cardiff University). This event is open to all but would be of particular interest to academic researchers and those working in public policy.
The first book discussed is the latest in the WISERD Policy Press Civil Society series:
City Regions and Devolution in the UK: The Politics of Representation
By David Beel, Martin Jones and Ian Rees Jones
In recent years, the ‘city region’ has seen a renaissance as the de facto spatial centre of governance for economic and social development.
Rich in case study insights, this book provides a critique of city-region building and considers how governance restructuring shapes the political, economic, social and cultural geographies of devolution. Reviewing the Greater Manchester, Sheffield, Swansea Bay City Regions, Cardiff Capital Region and the North Wales Growth Deal, the authors address the tensions and opportunities for local elites and civil society actors.
Based on original empirical material, situated within cutting edge academic and policy debates, this book is a timely and lively engagement with the shifting geographies of economic and social development in Britain.
https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/city-regions-and-devolution-in-the-uk
The second book discussed includes contributions by researchers working on WISERD’s Civil Society research on the foundational economy:
The Political Economy of Industrial Strategy in the UK: From Productivity Problems to Development Dilemmas
By Craig Berry, Julie Froud, Tom Barker
Does the UK still have an industrial strategy? How should we understand the renewed interest within government in industrial policy – and now its apparent reversal – in recent years? This collection of essay by leading academics and practitioners including Victoria Chick, Kate Bell, Simon Lee, Karel Williams, Susan Himmelweit, Laurie Macfarlane and Ron Martin – among many others- considers the effectiveness of recent industrial policies in addressing the UK’s economic malaise.
In offering a broad political economy perspective on economic statecraft and development in the UK, the book focuses on the political and institutional foundations of industrial policy, the value of “foundational” economic practices, the challenge of greening capitalism and addressing regional inequalities, and the new financial and corporate governance structures required to radicalize industrial strategy.
https://www.agendapub.com/books/130/the-political-economy-of-industrial-strategy-in-the-uk