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We provide insights based on our experience and current work and discuss what changes in policy mean for our localities, regions and cities
14 Years of Economic Development Consultancy – What’s Next?
Today marks a significant milestone for me โ 14 years since I launched my consultancy business! It's been an incredible journey, and I'm proud of the impact I've been able to make in economic development for cities, regions, and local areas. My career in numbers...
Create high-performing organisations with a high impact: lessons for the new Combined Authorities in England
๐๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐พ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ญ. ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐. CAs were completely new, untested in their local areas, given new funds, powers & responsibilities. ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐. Many CAs...
Is your business and stakeholder engagement too low? tips and advice to address this
๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ To maximise participation in workshops, interviews, and surveys, pitch relevant questions and repeat online events. Consider purchasing business samples from marketing databases to expand reach. ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ตโ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ...
Lessons in Industrial Cluster Policy from Eight Countries
Iโve been taking a deep dive on industry cluster development policies and delivery! Here are the highlights of best practice for industrial cluster development, drawing from eight countries and regionsโฆ Ireland: Clear, Consistent, and Long-Term Strategic...
7 Lessons for Enterprise and FDI Support from a Programme Review
A couple of years ago I helped a region review its approach to enterprise and business growth and inward investment promotion. One of my key observations was that โ this region is renowned for being a tech and business success, but in reality this success was in a...
๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ โ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐’๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉโ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค…!
How come? well, by saying that - the person probably is doing so from the point of defensive ignorance. How do they know they don't need Local Economic Development? And how do they know that things will never change? Hint: they do. Local Economic Development (LED) is...
๐ฝ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐พ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐: ๐๐๐ 7 ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ
To be able to pivot your portfolio of economic development activities and funding streams once a market or economic crisis unfolds - you need to be forewarned of the changes taking place, or at least keep pace with them once they are underway. To keep ahead of...
3 ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ฟ๐ค ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐
Folks, that 100-page report full of stats, charts (and hopefully analysis telling us what it means) about your local economy was not meant to sit on your shelf gathering dust! I've lost count of the number of cracking economic reviews I've done for clients to support...
๐๐๐ฎ “๐๐ D๐ค๐ฃ’๐ฉ B๐๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ P๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ W๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐จ” ๐๐จ ๐ F๐๐ก๐จ๐ A๐ง๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ
๐๐๐ฎ "๐๐ D๐ค๐ฃ'๐ฉ B๐๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐จ" ๐๐จ ๐ F๐๐ก๐จ๐ A๐ง๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ C๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ: W๐ต๐ G๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ H๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป I๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น P๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ W๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ E๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ N๐ผ๐ Dani Rodrik (Harvard University) argues that governments are "doomed to choose" and inevitably engage in industrial...
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ฝ๐ช๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ ๐พ๐๐จ๐…
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ฝ๐ช๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ ๐พ๐๐จ๐...๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ. Clients often approach people like me at the 'concept stage' of the business case process with project pitches like, โWe need to do something...
๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ฎ “๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐’๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐๐๐๐จ๐จ”
Successful places need an economic development strategy as much as unsuccessful ones.Here's 5 mistakes that successful places make: ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ #๐ญ: ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ป'๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ. I live in a tech town. Sure its successful if you are a tech worker, but not if you are in...
5 ๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ก๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข
5 ๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ก๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ 1๏ธโฃ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด. Politicians tend to care about the community, the issues faced and the constituencies they...