This project is running until May 2020 and Peter Sunley is the principal investigator. It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Other investigators are: Richard Harris (Durham University), Ron Martin (Cambridge University), Emil Evenhuis (Southampton University), and Andy Pike (Newcastle University)
The persistent sectoral and spatial imbalances in the British economy have provoked a political call for ‘rebalancing’. It is argued that rebuilding the country’s manufacturing base will not only help provide a more stable mode of economic growth, but promote a more even geographical distribution of growth. Strengthening manufacturing in the Midlands and North is integral to sectoral and spatial rebalancing. However, despite the profound uncertainties surrounding manufacturing after the Brexit vote, there has been a lack of recent research into the evolution of manufacturing across Britain. Focusing on the advanced manufacturing industries seen as key to any industrial renewal, this project seeks to explain the determinants and geographies of their differential economic performance. It examines whether and how ‘traditional’ industrial regions provide a conducive context for their growth, and whether there are significant local, regional and urban dimensions to the causes of advanced manufacturing development.
This project examines the geographical, organisational and economic dynamics of four key manufacturing industries: electrical, computing and optical equipment; aerospace; pharmaceuticals; and motor vehicles. It addresses the following questions:
The project is using a mix of statistical and micro-data sources on firm performance together with a firm survey, interviews and focus groups.