For nearly a decade, successive UK governments have framed regional inequality and declining productivity as key challenges facing the country. One promising approach to solving both is through industrial strategy: a coordinated set of government policies aimed at shaping the structure of the economy by supporting key sectors, enhancing productivity, and addressing regional imbalances.
Previous governments have tried and failed to implement their industrial strategies, plagued by poor coordination from central government.
This paper argues that subnational governments, namely mayors and strategic authorities, are well-placed to fill the gap in industrial strategy coordination and implementation in England. As more mayoral authorities move towards an integrated settlement model, their role in industrial strategy and economic growth will grow more important.
Authors Joe Peck, Samuel Thorpe