Learning from a century of regional development policy in the UK

Two Emeritus Fellows of St Catharine’s have been involved in a new report for the British Academy, the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, in response to widening regional economic inequalities in the UK despite almost a century of regional policy experimentation.

Professor Ron Martin FBA (Fellow 1974–2015; Emeritus Fellow 2015) was invited by the British Academy to compile and edit the report ‘Lessons from the History of Regional Development Policy in the UK’ (2024, British Academy). The timeline of UK regional policy, which dates back to 1928, that is used in the report was compiled by Professor Peter Tyler (Fellow 1983–2020; Emeritus Fellow 2020), who is Emeritus Professor of Regional and Urban Economics in the Department of Land Economy. 

Professor Martin, who is also Emeritus Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Cambridge, comments:

“The UK’s regional inequality gaps in economic prosperity and performance are currently wider than they ever have been since the inter-war years, and we also face some of the largest regional health inequalities in Western Europe. This Policy History report provides an historic view of a number of key regional policy developments from the past century, with a view to harnessing insights and lessons from the successes and failures of previous regional policies for contemporary policymakers. 

"The need to develop effective regional policies for the future is increasingly urgent in the context of longstanding systemic spatial inequalities that can be traced back to the 19th century, if not before, and the need to ensure that all parts of the UK contribute to and benefit from the transition to a net zero carbon economy, the AI revolution, and the challenge to improve national productivity. The current uncertainty surrounding the Levelling Up Act of 2023 makes the need for a coherent, strategic and well-resourced regional policy all the more imperative. The aim of this report is to help inform such a policy”.

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