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Level best? The levelling up agenda and UK regional inequality

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Fransham
  • Max Herbertson
  • Mihaela Pop
  • Margarida Bandeira Morais
  • Neil Lee

Abstract

‘Levelling up’ – a policy agenda focused on reducing regional inequalities – has become the new mantra in British politics. This paper critiques the policy programme from its emergence in 2019 to the publication of the 2022 levelling up White Paper. While it is a welcome recognition of gross regional inequality, local institutions lack capacity to deliver, there has been little genuine devolution and our analysis shows that little new funding has been committed. ‘Levelling up’ could simply become the latest in a list of politically useful but empty slogans which are used as a substitute for resources and devolution.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Fransham & Max Herbertson & Mihaela Pop & Margarida Bandeira Morais & Neil Lee, 2023. "Level best? The levelling up agenda and UK regional inequality," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(11), pages 2339-2352, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:57:y:2023:i:11:p:2339-2352
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2022.2159356
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    Cited by:

    1. Muggleton, Naomi & Rahal, Charles & Reeves, Aaron, 2025. "Capitalizing on a crisis: a computational analysis of all five million British firms during the Covid-19 pandemic," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 127228, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Fitjar, Rune Dahl, 2025. "Does public R&D funding reinforce regional disparities? Exploring the changing geography of public and business R&D expenditure in Europe," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(9).
    3. Naomi Muggleton & Charles Rahal & Aaron Reeves, 2025. "Capitalizing on a Crisis: A Computational Analysis of all Five Million British Firms During the Covid-19 Pandemic," Papers 2502.09383, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2025.
    4. Naomi Muggleton & Charles Rahal & Aaron Reeves, 2025. "Capitalizing on a crisis: a computational analysis of all five million British firms during the Covid-19 pandemic," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 1-29, May.
    5. repec:osf:socarx:qjau5_v1 is not listed on IDEAS

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy

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