Gail Mulvey

Nuclear Economies and Local Supply Chains in Peripheral Areas: The Case of West Cumbria

The aim of this paper is to fill the gap in data relating to local supply chains in the proximity of nuclear sites by investigating the site of Sellafield in West Cumbria, UK. Using information obtained from invoice data provided by Sellafield Ltd, the site-licenced company, and from primary research, the authors explore the relevance of nuclear procurement within the area, by evaluating levels of economic leakage and seepage resulting from suppliers’ subcontracting and work carried out locally. The study shows that the presence of a nuclear site has a crucial role for the surrounding area and for its economy. The results indicate a significant level of financial retention in the area with regard to work carried out in-house and local subcontracting at a first tier. In particular, the results identify cash flows related to second-tier suppliers located in West Cumbria, demonstrating that about a third of the total work carried out or subcontracted at the nuclear site stays in the area. These findings underline the significant impact of Sellafield on the West Cumbria economy and, more generally, provide an overview of the importance of nuclear sites for local supply chains in peripheral and remote areas.

Regulation and growth-oriented small businesses in North-West England

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which growth-oriented small and micro-businesses (SMBs) are affected by regulations. Case studies from North-West England are used to investigate the relationship between attitudes and responses to regulation and the characteristics of business growth. Design/methodology/approach This research examines the relationship between regulation and growth using eight case studies of SMBs. The selected cases are proactive in seeking new market opportunities and innovative in terms of product development or business process. Findings Case studies confirm that owner-managers of SMBs experience high levels of regulatory burden. However, some growth-oriented businesses also recognise the advantages in being proactive in seeking regulatory knowledge. These advantages were particularly prevalent in cases where growth is driven by product innovation in relatively new product markets. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a limited number of case studies in one region of England. Even so, interviews facilitate probing to increase understanding of the underlying reasons for attitudes towards regulation. The cases demonstrate that even very small businesses can use regulatory knowledge as a basis for business growth. Practical implications The findings suggest that networking in order to engage with regulatory regimes can generate competitive advantages and open up new market opportunities for small businesses. Originality/value This research contributes towards the debate on the impact of regulations on the economy at the micro level and in doing so highlights important nuances in the relationship between business growth and the regulatory environment.

Cross-Border Collaboration in Economic Development: Institutional Change on the Anglo-Scottish Border

ABSTRACT This article considers how changes in institutional structures affect the motivations of policymakers towards collaboration across borders. The Anglo-Scottish Border is used to illustrate the varied motivations for cross-border collaboration using models of partnership working. Adapting recent frameworks of analysis based on the concept of cross-border regional innovation systems, the Anglo-Scottish border is used to show how institutional changes can alter the balance between symmetries and asymmetries that tend to characterize cross-border relationships. Due to progressive devolution of functions to the Scottish Parliament since the 1990s, there are increasing contrasts in institutional settings and policy frameworks across this sub-state border. The nature of cross-border collaboration in two time periods is compared and contrasted. The first took place during 2000–2004 under the banner of “Border Visions.” This is contrasted with the more recent attempts to stimulate cross-border collaboration in the context of the Referendum on Scottish Independence in 2014. It is shown that the motivations for cross-border working can shift in response to changes in the economy and also in response to interactions between policy debates that occur simultaneously at different spatial scales.

The Role and Significance of Rates Relief for Supporting Businesses in Wales

This paper reports on a study which seeks to evaluate the role of small business rates relief as a means of government support for small businesses, in terms of both the financial benefit for recipient businesses and the symbolic significance of rates relief as a form of state support for the small business community in general. In doing so, the paper engages with the theoretical debate regarding the effectiveness and targeting of support to small businesses and how best to achieve this. The paper is based upon a survey of 391 small businesses receiving rates relief in Wales. The study contributes to the literature by filling a gap in our knowledge of business perception of the impact of rates relief and identifying some of the positive and negative aspects of such support mechanisms.

Report on the RSA Annual European Conference 2017: “The Great Regional Awakening: New Directions,” 4–7th June 2017, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

This years annual conference was the largest to date with over 500 participants. This meant that it was not only an opportunity to meet up with colleagues and friends and to hear of the research in which they are engaged but also a chance to broaden ones knowledge networks and to contribute to debates on the regional implications of current tumultuous events and processes such as the Great Recession/Financial Crisis, Brexit, migration crises, structural change and innovation, sustainability and economic development.

Can Insider–Outsider Theories Explain the Persistence of Unemployment? An Econometric Study of Two British Industries

Using industry-specific and aggregate data for the period 1952-85, this paper focuses on the potential of the insider-outsider explanation of unemployment to account for the differing economic performance of two British industries, electrical engineering and motor vehicles. The former industry experienced a steady expansion in this period while the latter was in relative decline. Although hysteresis was found to be somewhat greater in the motor vehicle industry, insider power was rejected both as a cause of the persistence of unemployment and as an explanation of that industrys contraction. Copyright 1997 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester