Stian Westlake, CEO of the Royal Statistical Society, TPI collaborator, and incoming chair of the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council, will give a Vital Topics lecture at Alliance Manchester Business School on 18 April, 17:00-18:15. Online viewing will also be available for this event.
In his lecture, Stian will explore how regional inequality is being exacerbated by the wider shift from physical capital (factories, buildings) to intangibles (ideas, brands, skills).
He will also discuss the political economy of fixing the issue – which involves solving one of two very hard problems: significantly increasing the productivity of poorer towns and cities, or intensifying development in rich places that have historically been reluctant to grow.
The lecture will be facilitated by Richard Jones, Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy, and Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement, University of Manchester.