PROFESSOR DYLAN JONES-EVANS

One of the big economic issues that still faces the UK as we look to leave the European Union is not related to our place in the World but, more relevantly, to the regional imbalances that exists between the different parts of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In particular, with recognition that there has been too much focus in recent times on London and the South East of England and increasing calls for greater devolution from new economic regions such as the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine, a recent publication on the fiscal contribution of each part of the UK makes for some fascinating reading. Entitled “Country and regional public sector finances”, the aim of these statistics is to provide information on how much public sector expenditure - by bodies such as central government, local authorities and other public bodies - has occurred and how much revenue (mainly taxes and social contributions) has been raised in each country and region of the UK. This also, o...

During the last twenty years, there have been many academics, politicians and policymakers (including yours truly) who have looked over to the innovation developed in Silicon Valley, California and wondered if we could ever emulate that success here in Wales. Whilst the former First Minister Rhodri Morgan proposed only last week that South Wales could become the “UK’s answer to Silicon Valley”, he is not alone in the world with such a suggestion for his local area. With imitation often being the sincerest form of flattery, many others regions across the globe have tried to emulate the ‘secret sauce’ that has led to this small valley to the South East of San Francisco becoming the seedbed for world-leading companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Apple and Google. But after fifty years of success, can it maintain its position as the premier location for innovation in the World? This is a question that its own business community has recently been asking itself. This has culminated in a...