Productivity Insights Network
The Productivity Insights Network was established in January 2018 and is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). As a multi-disciplinary network of social science researchers engaged with public, private, and third sector partners, the aim of the Productivity Insights Network is to change the tone of the productivity debate in theory and practice. It is led by the University of Sheffield, with co-investigators at the Cambridge Econometrics, Cardiff University, Durham University, University of Sunderland, SQW, University of Cambridge, University of Essex, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds and University of Stirling.
Productivity and Prosperity: Inclusive Growth for the West Midlands
The project, funded by the ESRC, brings together a team of researchers from various disciplines including labour market analysis, international business, engineering, economics, operations research, decision sciences, human resources, innovation and entrepreneurship, among others, who study productivity issues from a wide range of perspectives and using a range of state of the art methodologies. Their findings will assist both policy makers in understanding interventions that will boost productivity and understand trade-offs vis-à-vis inclusivity, and the private sector in unblocking productivity growth in supply or value chains.
Productivity from Below: Addressing the Productivity Challenges of Microbusinesses
This project, funded by the ESRC, brings together three leading research centres: the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) and City-REDI (Regional Economic Development Institute). The main objective of the research is to use scientifically rigorous academic research, co-produced in collaboration with practitioners, to design and implement scalable policies to boost productivity by strengthening management practices in micro-businesses. The project will produce important practical outcomes through the provision of evidence-based interventions in the form of customised programmes. These programmes will be designed to upgrade leadership and management skills that lead to a boost in productivity for the businesses. It will also actively support the development of a more responsive and inclusive business support eco-system in the West-Midlands.
Powering Productivity: Exploring Links between Energy, Wellbeing and the UK’s Productivity Puzzle
Productivity growth means getting more output from fewer inputs. It is a key goal of conventional economic policy. But ‘productivity growth’ is a vague concept and there are large gaps in our understanding of it. This ESRC funded project explores links between the different types of productivity and two major gaps: the relationship between energy and productivity, and wellbeing and productivity. The aim is to map the existing evidence base and guide future ESRC productivity research.