Developing England’s North: The Political Economy of the Northern Powerhouse(Building a Sustainable Political Economy: SPERI Research & Policy)

About the Book

This book explores the politics of local economic development in Northern England. Socio-economic conditions in the North - and its future prospects - have become central to national debates in the UK. The status of Northern regions and their local economies is intimately associated with efforts to 'rebalance' the economy away from the South East, London and the finance sector in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The contributors to this volume focus in particular on the coalition and Conservative governments' 'Northern Powerhouse' agenda. They also analyse associated efforts to devolve power to local authorities across England, which promise to bring both greater prosperity and autonomy to the deindustrialized North. Several chapters critically interrogate these initiatives, and their ambitions, by placing them within their wider historical, geographical, institutional and ideological contexts. As such, Berry and Giovannini seek to locate Northern England within a broaderunderstanding of the political dimension of economic development, and outline a series of ideas for enhancing the North's prospects.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Introduction: Powerhouse Politics and Economic Development in the North.- Chapter 2. Reviving the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ and Spatially Rebalancing the British Economy: The Scale of the Challenge.- Chapter 3. Law, Legislation and Rent-Seeking: the Role of the Treasury-Led Developmental State in the Competitive Advantage of the Southern Powerhouse.- Chapter 4. ‘D is for Dangerous’: Devolution and the On-Going Decline of Manufacturing in Northern England.- Chapter 5. Powerhouse of Science? Prospects and Pitfalls of Place-Based Science and Innovation Policies in Northern England.- Chapter 6. The Northern Powerhouse Meets the Cities and Local Growth Agenda: Local Economic Policy-Making and Agglomeration in Practice.- Chapter 7. The Uneven Governance of Devolution Deals in Yorkshire: Opportunities, Challenges and Local (Di)visions.- Chapter 8. Leading the Way? The Relationship Between ‘Devo-Manc’, Combined Authorities and the Northern Powerhouse.- Chapter 9. From Problems in the North to the Problematic North: Northern Devolution through the Lens of History.- Chapter 10. Regionalisation and Civil Society in a Time of Austerity: The Cases of Manchester and Sheffield.- Chapter 11. Civic Financialisation: Financing the Northern Powerhouse.- Chapter 12. The Recomposition of the Tax System: Exacerbating Uneven Development through the Northern Powerhouse Agenda.- Chapter 13. Conclusion: A Better Place.

About the Author :

Craig Berry is Deputy Director of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Sheffield, UK. His previous roles include Policy Advisor at HM Treasury, Pensions Policy Officer at the Trades Union Congress, and Head of Policy and Senior Researcher at the International Longevity Centre - UK. His research interests comprise of the North's location within global value chains, and the political processes that underpin Northern economic development.

Arianna Giovannini is Senior Lecturer in Local Politics at the Department of Politics and Public Policy, De Montfort University, UK, where she is a member of the Local Governance Research Unit and the Centre for Urban Research and Austerity. She is Honorary Research Fellow at the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research focuses on devolution, territorial and political identity, regionalism and democracy, with a particular emphasis on the 'English Question' and the North of England.