Unlocking innovation in British cities and regions
Published:
July 2008
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Unlocking innovation in British cities and regions (73KB PDF)
Description
Innovation performance varies substantially across Great Britain and the different history of each city-region has a substantial bearing on its economic position today. But until recently, regional development policy has not reflected either the functional status of city-regions, nor taken full account of their histories.
But this is a major oversight. City-regions with traditional heavy industries have found it harder to adapt to new ideas than those starting with a clean industrial slate. The point is amply illustrated through a case study of two contrasting cities – Cambridge and Swansea – with dramatically different innovation outcomes flowing from their particular histories.
Policymakers need to develop an historical awareness in crafting regional innovation policy. City-regional governments should think carefully about how their unique historical development might determine their strategies for the future. And each city-region is different: breaking from an existing, low-innovation path is about more than applying a generic ‘regional innovation’ formula.