Wednesday 12th February 2020, 13:30 – 14:30 GMT
Presenter: Jen Nelles, Centre for Regional Economic and Enterprise Development (CREED), University of Sheffield Management School, Productivity Insights Network (PIN)
Webinar Overview:
Like the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland has experienced weak productivity growth since the 2008 Financial Crisis despite broader economic recovery. Consequently, boosting productivity has been a central goal of contemporary economic policy even to the extent that both UK and Northern Ireland industrial strategies have been described as productivity policies. Yet evidence shows that decades of Government productivity policies have not (yet?) resulted in predictable or positive impacts on productivity performance. This webinar argues that the siloed nature of productivity policy may be hindering the development of an effective productivity programme and that adopting a systems approach to policy may provide new insights into the productivity puzzle in Northern Ireland (and beyond). It presents the results of a research project supported by the ESRC and Productivity Insights Network (PIN) and executed in partnership with the Department for the Economy of Northern Ireland that applies a systems approach to mapping how policymakers perceive the economic system and how that is reflected in policy.
Session Objectives:
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To unpack the productivity puzzle in the UK and Northern Ireland;
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To understand the value of adopting a systems lens to understanding policy inefficiencies;
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To present and invite critique on an innovative methodology for developing a cognitive map of an economic system;
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To present and debate the results of the mapping project.
Presenter Biography:
Jen Nelles is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Regional Economic and Enterprise Development (CREED) at the University of Sheffield Management School and holds affiliations with the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities and the CUNY Institute for Urban Systems in New York City. Her recent work with the Productivity Insights Network (PIN) focuses on applying systems theory to productivity policy and governance. Her other research includes work on metropolitan and regional governance, infrastructure, and spatial inequalities.
How to Join:
This talk will take place via a Zoom Webinar (registration now closed).
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. In case you are unable to attend, a recording of the webinar will be uploaded to our website following the event.