This Insights Paper provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities for the North West, with a particular focus on productivity. It describes the key social and economic drivers across the region, with specific attention paid to the initiatives that are driving growth and development. Section 2 provides an overview of productivity in the region relative to the UK as a whole. Section 3 examines various drivers of productivity, using a ‘scorecard’ approach developed by The Productivity Institute’s Data Lab.
Section 4 provides an overview of the initiatives that are being taken in different parts of the region that may contribute to future productivity improvements, with a focus on sustainability and net zero, human capital, physical capital, and technology.
Section 5 provides insights and perspectives from a range of regional actors from the public and private sectors. It is based on a roundtable event which sought to gain practitioners’ views on the key productivity challenges and opportunities. This is followed by a SWOT analysis for the region and policy considerations.
Authors Kate Penney, Marianne Sensier, Raquel Ortega‐Argilés, Fatima Garcia Elena
