Paul Swinney
@paulswinney.bsky.social
Chief Economist at The Data City. Formerly of Centre for Cities. Posting mainly about economics.
The main pushback seems to this is that it removes local accountability. I think it strengthens it. Here's why:
Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · last wk.England Mayors to get powers to overrule local councils on planning decisions. Local democracy? New homes not accompanied by investment in water/energy infrastructure, NHS, public transport, roads, schools, environment. No playing spaces for children in high-rise builds.
Good luck to Andy Burnham. May he succeed where all of his recent predecessors have failed.
England have scored 13 goals at this year's world cup. 12 have come from Bellingham or Kane. That's a lot like the UK's public finances. What state would they be in without London? See more here:
Economics Observatory@econ-observatory.bsky.social · 2mo agoNEW on the Economics Observatory – Greek tragedy: how does weak regional growth affect the wider UK economy? by Paul Swinney
Interesting piece by @paulswinney.bsky.social @thedatacity.bsky.social. Hear more from Paul in this special session on navigating industry and regional classifications at ESCoE's recent conference: youtu.be/DW-GPnX_gTY
Economics Observatory@econ-observatory.bsky.social · 2mo agoNEW on the Economics Observatory – Greek tragedy: how does weak regional growth affect the wider UK economy? by Paul Swinney
On your second point, I'd contend that quite a few countries have. As a group our secondary cities are the poorest performers of anywhere in the G7. And Japan is the only other country where the rest of the country outperforms them for productivity.
Borners@borners.bsky.social · 2mo agoI have to disagree with much of this. First the tax system is specifically designed throughs its tax-expenditures to favour property owners who earn median non-SE incomes. Second "we can somehow increase productivity of decaying regions on a scale no where has" is...an assumption.
Many parts of the UK run a fiscal deficit larger than Greece’s at the height of its 2009 sovereign debt crisis. Let that sink in for a second.
Economics Observatory@econ-observatory.bsky.social · 2mo agoJUST PUBLISHED – Greek tragedy: how does weak regional growth affect the wider UK economy? by Paul Swinney
I'm on this week's More or Less with Tim Harford discussing the Manchester growth miracle. You can listen to it here. Let me know what you think: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - More or Less, Examining the numbers behind Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchester Miracle’
Tim Harford examines ‘Manchesterism’, hot cities, whales and CO2, and prime numbers.
bbc.co.uk
💡Does the UK lose its best ideas to America? New data suggests the bigger challenge is much closer to home: scaling spinouts from outside Oxford and Cambridge. Enjoyed digging into the data with the help of @paulswinney.bsky.social for @alphaville.ft.com Full story here: as.ft.com/r/d60411f3-9...
Dear political journos. The creation of No10 North is decentralisation of the state, not devolution. The first is the state doing its functions somewhere else in the country. The second is the reallocation of powers away from the centre. They are very definitely different things. Thanks x
'Growth in every postcode'. That's what Andy #Burnham will promise today. Here's why this thinking will sink his agenda.
NEW on the Economics Observatory – Have the UK’s northern cities really experienced a productivity miracle? By @paulswinney.bsky.social
Have the UK’s northern cities really experienced a productivity miracle? - Economics Observatory
While official data points to a 'productivity miracle' in several large northern cities since 2019, a closer look suggests otherwise. This serves as a reminder to sense-check any data before using…
buff.ly
Producing local economic insights in the UK faces a fundamental challenge: reconciling official statistical frameworks with the granular realities of business activity. This special session looks at industry and regional classifications. @asvalero.bsky.social @paulswinney.bsky.social
This is the geography of VC-backed businesses in the UK, from @thedatacity.bsky.social. Every dot is the operations of an existing business that has received VC at some point.
NEW on the Economics Observatory – Are more trains the answer to economic struggles in the North of England? By @paulswinney.bsky.social
Are more trains the answer to economic struggles in the North of England? - Economics Observatory
More often than not, the political answer to the North of England’s economic challenges is more trains. Yet while fresh investment in rail infrastructure may boost prosperity in certain places, it…
buff.ly
JUST PUBLISHED – Are more trains the answer to economic struggles in the North of England? By @paulswinney.bsky.social
Are more trains the answer to economic struggles in the North of England? - Economics Observatory
More often than not, the political answer to the North of England’s economic challenges is more trains. Yet while fresh investment in rail infrastructure may boost prosperity in certain places, it…
buff.ly
The answer is trains. What’s the question? That’s what so many conversations about the solutions to the North’s economic challenges feel like. That starting point doesn’t help the very people we want to make more prosperous. Here’s why: www.economicsobservatory.com/are-more-tra...
economicsobservatory.com
Another proof point! Super interesting critique of the Manchester growth story from @paulswinney.bsky.social www.economicsobservatory.com/have-the-uks...
Have the UK’s northern cities really experienced a productivity miracle? - Economics Observatory
While official data points to a 'productivity miracle' in several large northern cities since 2019, a closer look suggests otherwise. This serves as a reminder to sense-check any data before using it,...
economicsobservatory.com
🧵 The 2025 UK investment league table is out. Some sectors will be celebrating. Some ministers will not. A thread 👇
The #GortonandDenton results show the political challenge that the Manchester growth miracle narrative creates. People are told that Greater Manchester is booming. They don't feel it in their pocket, and feel like it is passing them by. They vote for change.
Paul Swinney@paulswinney.bsky.social · 8mo agoI've seen a number of organisations and politicians use the data seemingly showing a productivity miracle in large northern city regions, especially Greater Manchester. Something didn't seem quite right. So I take a look in this piece:
This event has just taken on extra significance🍿 #GortonandDenton
Centre for Cities@centreforcities.bsky.social · 6mo agoJoin Mayor Andy Burnham for a keynote speech and discussion on the future of English devolution. We will host the @mayorofgm.bsky.social to reflect on Greater Manchester’s journey so far and set out his ambitions for the next phase of devolution👇 buff.ly/uQXZSyc
📅 In conversation with @mayorofgm.bsky.social Joins us to hear from the Mayor on Greater Manchester’s journey so far, lessons for other mayoral strategic authorities, his ambitions for Greater Manchester and the English devolution agenda more broadly👇 www.centreforcities.org/event/manche...
‘Why are you dumping on Greater hashtag#Manchester?’ That’s one of the reactions I got from my recent piece questioning GM’s miracle productivity growth figures. But this type of coverage is exactly the reason why I wrote it.
@faisalislam.bsky.social · 7mo agoMOST READ: Look up at the skyscrapers and look down at the buzz of a city full of young workers, and you see something occasionally elusive in Britain, a city full of growth and optimism. In the week of more sluggish UK growth figures, for Radio 4’s In Other News… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Yesterday we joined @OxfordEconomics' Global Economic Outlook Conference in London to explore the forces driving change. Our Chief Economist @paulswinney.bsky.social presented how we're building a real-time view of the UK economy using web data, machine learning & modern sector classifications.
My recent work on productivity figures has made today's FT. Full article here: www.ft.com/content/606d...
How can think tanks use big data in research? Great to join @smartthinking.bsky.social yesterday. Our Chief Economist @paulswinney.bsky.social spoke on how tools like The Data City help map emerging sectors in real time. Try it yourself: thedatacity.com/free-trial/
Interesting (via the FT) Mayoral elections are much more about the candidates than parties (see @centreforcities.bsky.social). Houchen’s victory in spite of national Tory support falling off a cliff in the last round of elections shows this. So does he need the Reform brand to stay in power?
What should we do less of? The question that, in so many different contexts, we all like to duck. All the more so if the answer gets anywhere near private consumption.
Duncan Weldon@duncanweldon.bsky.social · 8mo agoA thousand times this. If we want to take defence spending from circa 2.5% of GDP to circa 3.5-4% of GDP the question isn’t “how do we pay for it?”. That’s the easy bit - a combination of taxes and borrowing. The real question is about real resources and what do we want to do less of?
I've seen a number of organisations and politicians use the data seemingly showing a productivity miracle in large northern city regions, especially Greater Manchester. Something didn't seem quite right. So I take a look in this piece:
Economics Observatory@econ-observatory.bsky.social · 8mo agoJUST PUBLISHED – Have the UK’s northern cities really experienced a productivity miracle? By @paulswinney.bsky.social
Great work here by @paulswinney.bsky.social - www.economicsobservatory.com/have-the-uks... Building trustworthy real-time economic data infrastructure, is exactly why we built @thedatacity.bsky.social The Data City.
Have the UK’s northern cities really experienced a productivity miracle? - Economics Observatory
While official data points to a 'productivity miracle' in several large northern cities since 2019, a closer look suggests otherwise. This serves as a reminder to sense-check any data before using it,...
economicsobservatory.com