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SERC policy papers

All SERC policy papers

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Powerhouse of Cards? Understanding the 'Northern Powerhouse'

The ‘Northern Powerhouse’ is the UK government’s latest attempt to reduce regional disparities. By bringing together the cluster of cities in the North of England, the aim is to create an agglomeration with the scale to ...Read more...

Neil Lee

22 January 2016

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Planes, Trains and Automobiles: The Economic Impact of Transport Infrastructure

In the run up to the 2015 general election, the main political parties have very mixed views as to what should be done about transport in the UK. Big transport investment proposals - expansion of London's airports and hi...Read more...

Stephen Gibbons

Revised July 2017

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Evaluating Spatial Policies

In most countries economic prosperity is very unevenly distributed across space: regions, cities and neighbourhoods seem to be very unequal, whether we look at average earnings, employment, education or almost any other ...Read more...

Stephen Gibbons, Max Nathan and Henry G. Overman

19 March 2014

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Assessing the Government's Proposals to Reform the UK Planning System

This note discusses the UK government’s proposed reforms to the land use planning system. It considers the case for reform and the extent to which the reforms are likely to meet their objectives. It then makes some sugge...Read more...

Max Nathan and Henry G. Overman

2 November 2011

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
What We Know (and Don't Know) About the Links between Planning and Economic Performance

This note considers the impact of land use planning on economic performance. Specifically, we discuss some of the economic and social costs of the current English system, some of which have been underplayed in public deb...Read more...

Max Nathan and Henry G. Overman

2 November 2011

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
The Future of Rural Policy: Lessons from Spatial Economics (Policy Note)

This policy note spells out lessons for rural policy that emerge from recent SERC research. It summarises a SERC policy paper available at http://www.spatialeconomics.ac.uk/textonly/SERC/publications/download/sercpp008.p...Read more...

Stephen Gibbons and Henry G. Overman

11 October 2011

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
The Future of Rural Policy: Lessons from Spatial Economics

This policy paper is concerned with rural policy. It spells out the lessons for rural policy that emerge from recent SERC research....Read more...

Stephen Gibbons and Henry G. Overman

11 October 2011

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Economic Growth in Cities: Issues for Central Government

This note is concerned with the role of cities and urban policy in growth. Decentralisation from central to local government may help city leaders raise economic performance. It also generates new policy choices for cent...Read more...

Henry G. Overman

June 2011

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Strategies for Underperforming Places

All governments are concerned with tackling the problems of areas that experience sustained decline and underperformance. In the UK, several factors have combined to raise profound questions about future government polic...Read more...

Paul Lawless, Henry G. Overman and Peter Tyler

February 2011

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
City-Region Governance, Policy Variation and Economic Performance

Advocates for devolution of responsibility for economic development have frequently made a link between the governance of city-regions and their economic performance. The evidence they adduce for this does not clearly be...Read more...

Paul Steeples

February 2010

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Urban Containment, Housing Affordability and Price Stability - Irreconcilable Goals

The planning goals of urban containment and now densification conceive of houses in terms of physical units and of land ‘supply’ as the area allocated for housing by the planning system; estimates of ‘demand’ are driven ...Read more...

Paul Cheshire

September 2009

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Local Authorities and the Downturn: A Review of Issues, Experience and Options

This report considers the potential/appropriate role for local authorities (LAs) in relation to the downturn phase of the current recession. It focuses on the most valuable functions which they can fulfil in this context...Read more...

Ian Gordon, Tony Travers and Christine Whitehead

June 2009

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Policies for 'Mixed Communities': A Critical Evaluation

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Paul Cheshire, Stephen Gibbons and Ian Gordon

June 2008

SERC/Urban and Spatial Programme Policy Paper
Resurgent Cities and Regional Economic Performance

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Henry G. Overman and Patricia Rice

June 2008