State of the North 2020/21: Power up, level up, rise up
Article
Last year’s State of the North report revealed the extent of the UK’s deep regional divides. This year, we consider what this means for people in the North, asking who is most impacted by these pre-existing divides, and by policies that seek to change them.
Covid-19 has thrown our long-term inequities and lack of resilience into a stark spotlight. A recovery that simply restores the old order would be unsustainable and – for many – unacceptable.
In this report we set out some of the ways in which the North’s economy does not, currently, create the conditions for a good life for everyone in the region – and how a truly ‘levelled up’ North might look.
In an extraordinary year, as we experience a global pandemic and approach Brexit, we propose a series of ‘tests’ to help define ‘levelling up’ and increase accountability for initiatives that seek to rebalance – or ‘level up’ – the regions of England and the UK.
Related items
Realism and progress: How should the UK think about international policy in 2024?
Given the current polls, the Labour party looks set to form the next government. It has taken the temperature of the country and, whereas in 1997 its leaders put hope at the heart of their campaign, this time they have chosen to focus on…Rock bottom: Low investment in the UK economy
The UK’s investment performance is still worse than every other G7 country, new data shows.There is an alternative to traditional ways of delivering social and economic value
Our new report An alternative is possible: Measuring the impact of cooperatives puts forward a new framework for measuring the value that cooperative organisations deliver to local economies.