Productivity Research Conference  4th – 5th September 2025 Find out more

A diverse community of leading experts, policymakers and practitioners

The Institute’s key research themes are led by ten academic partners spread across the UK.

Working closely with policymakers

We’re a UK-wide research organisation exploring what productivity means for business

Businesses are crucial to solving the UK’s productivity problems.

Why are some places more prosperous than others?

Why are regional disparities so persistent? Why do adjustment mechanisms fail, and what should policy do (and not do)?

Tony Venables’ inaugural lecture at The University of Manchester reviewed answers to these questions and offered insights based on a new measure of the structure of the UK’s local economies.

Tony is Professor of Economics at Alliance Manchester Business School, and Research Director of The Productivity Institute.

Watch the lecture: