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After the publication of the Government's 'Levelling Up' White Paper, this paper reviews the role of institutions and governance structures across English regions in tackling spatial inequality and low productivity. It considers the recent history and changing roles of local and regional organisations and the overarching policy frameworks that oversee them as a key element of tackling spatial inequality and low productivity. Specifically, the paper looks at the frequent changes to institutional arrangements supporting economic development and the process of allocating competitive funds to local and regional bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the unevenness of the 2007–08 crisis by examining the literature of England's North–South divide. From the 1980s this longstanding divide was exacerbated as a result of promoting London as a global financial hub, so when the crisis hit many expected some regional economic convergence as redundancies spread throughout the financial sector. This has, however, not taken place and previous patterns of uneven development have rather been reinforced. Attempts have been made to explain this deepening of established geographical patterns as the result of different regions’ degrees of economic resilience, but this approach is, however, problematic because it naturalizes crises, downscales responsibility and neglects politics. Inspired by Martin Jones’s concept of the ‘spatial selectivity of the state’, the paper will rather argue that to understand the uneven geography of the economic crisis, one has to look beyond localized resilience to how the state’s austerity policies have displaced the crisis’s impacts away from its origins in a London-centred financial sector. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Set within a general discussion of the characteristics of sub-regional planning and development, this paper reports the results of recent research on the proposed arrangements for strategic planning at regional and sub-regional levels in the English regions. It also examines the characteristics of strategic planning at regional and sub-regional levels in Scotland and Wales. Specific consideration is given to the advantages and disadvantages associated with sub-regional strategic planning and to a number of key issues, including — the scope and coverage of sub-regional planning; the appropriate spatial scale for sub-regional planning; the coordination or integration of and use, economic development, environmental management and ot her issues at sub-regional level; the institutional and organisational dimensions of sub-regional planning, management and governance; the remits, roles and methods of collaboration between the various bodies involved in sub-regional planning; and the issues of accountability, participation and stakeholder engagement. A final section of the paper briefly considers the lessons that can be used to help to introduce a more efficient and effective system of sub-regional planning in the English regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism has become a modern global phenomenon and contributes to the development of the society in many possible ways. The visible impact of the tourism development not only involves the economic factors but also develop the environmental, cultural and social aspects of life and well-being. Matter of fact, because of this various benefits arising from the tourism development, it has been able to gain a very important and significant status in the community and many countries are recognising tourism as their priority in the economic development. Urban tourism is a concept within the tourism and it becomes one of the main functions of the cities and its importance is still growing. Urban tourism locations rich in historic features often serve as a suitable example of urban locations positioned to attract visitors to enjoy the historic and cultural experiences on offer. Focusing on Cambridge, a city in the United Kingdom this paper explored the concept of Urban Tourism with an emphasis on the characteristics and type of visitors to cities and the natural impacts of tourism and also focused on the costs and benefits of urban tourism in terms of economic, social, cultural and environmental considerations. Using different literature from various articles, books, research papers and case studies, this paper identifies if Cambridge is able to retain its culture and identity in spite of its popularity as a tourism destination. This paper presents the results of a theoretical analysis which showed that tourism impacts have largely been well managed in Cambridge and the city has been able to maintain the characteristics and original features of a heritage city. Preservation of architecture, a wide range of entertainment and cultural events, sports and leisure facilities are all well served. The results of this research can be useful in identifying the role of the public and private sector in urban tourism and their impact on local residents and aims to create awareness among organizations relating to the Urban tourism, local residents and government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about school science, students' engagement with, and participation in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and the supply of suitably qualified people for STEM related fields have been ongoing in England since the early 20th Century. Recent key policy documents and STEM related organisations have highlighted a skills gap in these fields that, if not addressed, could have significant implications towards the country's economic development and prosperity. A large body of literature exists which contributes to the understanding of why it is that young people opt out of post-compulsory STEM education and STEM related careers. However, even with a large knowledge base and a wide range of initiatives and projects that have been carefully designed with the underpinning aim of attracting more young people to STEM related careers (10 year Science and Innovation Framework-HMT, 2004) there still appears to be a problem. This paper presents data gathered from two studies undertaken by the authors in 2004 and 2010. Key findings from two surveys of school students' perceptions of school science and science and engineering in general, and from follow-up focus group interviews are reported. Data sets from both 2004 and 2010 reveal a large amount of congruence in the students' perceptions. While the majority of participating students state that they enjoy school science they also state that they would not consider study of STEM related subjects beyond compulsory education or a STEM related career. The paper situates key findings within existing literature and argues that there is some way to go before we can begin to piece together the large range of factors which influence student's decisions to opt out of STEM study and careers and to develop a clear and effective strategy for tackling the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent debate has highlighted the Important significance of social partnership in further education for developing new approaches to English vocational education and training (VET). There is international evidence of the contribution that well-established social partnerships between employers, unions and government can make to deliver VET effectively. It is argued that in England VET can benefit from adopting and embedding social partnership models, especially ones in which further education (FE) colleges have a local and regional anchoring role. However, to date, England has persistently failed to implement any kind of significant social partnership for various reasons - a crucial one being government reliance on an employer-led approach to VET. A prerequisite for developing social partnership in further education is to identify and garner support for promising governance and cooperation structures. Such identification foregrounds a conception of a rich civil society and economy, with local and regional partnerships being essential enablers. An examination of FE colleges as part of a VET system reviews the benefits of establishing a coordinated skills system providing coherent local, regional and national pathways for vocational, technical and skilled work. Such a national VET system would integrate universities, employer training, the school curriculum and careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the role of Technology and Innovation Centres (TICs) in bridging the gap between the university research base and industry in order to foster economic development in a lagging industrial region. The context is provided by an academic literature on the role of universities in regional innovation systems, some of which casts doubt on the capacity of universities to operate in this domain, particularly within a lagging region. The empirical case reports on a bold experiment initiated by the Regional Development Agency in the older industrial region of the North-East of England to create and support new TICs in the fields of process innovation in high-value manufacturing and new and renewable energy, and on the engagement of a regionally committed university with these centres. The evidence presented suggests that while there are links between the university and the centres, both are principally operating in a national science and technology system in which contributing to addressing uneven regional economic development is a secondary concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous Acts of Parliament changed the financing of transport infrastructure in eighteenth-century England. This paper examines the economic effects of turnpike acts, which greatly improved road infrastructure by introducing tolls. It shows that turnpike trusts increased property income in local areas by at least 20 per cent. The findings shed light on why local property owners promoted and managed turnpikes. They also show that turnpike trusts accounted for at least 20 per cent of the total growth in real land rents between 1690 and 1815, and added at least 1.65 per cent to national income in 1815. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why did Western Europe industrialize first? An influential view holds that its exceptionally well-functioning markets supported with a certain set of institutions provided the incentives to make investments needed to industrialize. This paper examines this hypothesis by comparing the actual performance of markets in terms of market integration in Western Europe and China, two regions that were relatively advanced in the preindustrial period, but would start to industrialize about 150 years apart. We find that the performance of markets in China and Western Europe overall was comparable in the late eighteenth century. Market performance in England was higher than in the Yangzi Delta, and markets in England also performed better than those in continental Western Europe. This suggests strong market performance may be necessary, but it is not sufficient for industrialization. Rather than being a key condition for subsequent growth, improvements in market performance and growth occurred simultaneously. (JEL N13, N15, O47) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the concept and practice of “Healthy Working Centres” within the context of new forms of work organisation. New forms of work organisation can be within enterprises, or it can take the form of collaborative engagement in new working practices among enterprises. The paper explores what constitutes a Healthy Working Centre, and identifies what would differentiate such centres from other existing facilities in the South East of England. It concludes that Healthy Working Centres are potentially powerful new forms of work organisation, which would develop social capital and alliances among organisations. In time, they could create innovation systems and regional developmental coalitions. Participative action research interventions during the feasibility study in a number of sub-regional networks illustrate that centres would have to meet the needs of the community using them, and they would therefore have to develop specific norms, structures and communication conventions. The success of the Healthy Working Centre concept is dependent upon a culture of co-operation and collaboration in the region, which is at present largely absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the globalization of economic life and a myriad of powerful challenges to Westphalian traditions of political statehood, it is now routinely contended that regions are‘in resurgence’. Nonetheless, much of the debate on this purported regional renaissance is bedevilled by confusion over what scholars and activists mean by regions and an analogous mystification as to why some regions are‘successful’,‘lagging’ or‘different’. Our paper aims to instil some coherence to this debate by distinguishing between what we termregional spacesandspaces of regionalism. It then draws on this distinction to explore the institutionalization of England's South West region, highlighting some tensions which prevail over its economic future, its political representation, its territorial shape and cultural vernacular. In undertaking this, we demonstrate how the formation of any given regional map is reflective– and indeed constitutive– of an unevenly developing, often overlapping and superimposing mosaic of economic practices, political mobilizations, cultural performances and institutional accomplishments. This prompts us to question the currently fashionable inclination to fully jettison a scalar and/or territorial approach to the theory and practice of spatiality in favour of relational/topological/non-territorial approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a number of studies published in the economic history literature discuss the development, organization and function of the London Stock Exchange, there is little quantitative evidence on how well this market functioned. This is a significant omission, since the finance literature provides a well developed set of criteria against which the performance of capital markets may be judged. In particular, the finance literature emphasizes the importance of the efficient impounding of information into market prices. So-called 'weak-form efficiency' is the least demanding version and is therefore the logical starting point. This paper reports the results of weak-form efficiency tests of the London market for 3 per cent Consols from 1821 to 1860. The tests are based on over 10,000 daily price changes, The evidence presented here is similar to that found in contemporary markets, suggesting that the market for 3 per cent Consols was efficient in the weak-form sense. From a finance perspective, this market is of interest, given the institutional differences between it and contemporary markets. From an economic history perspective, this security is of special interest, given its frequent use in economic history analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low level of residential mobility in England, particularly in the social sector, has been a continuing topic both in the literature and among policy makers. The period 1995-2007 was one of relatively rapid tenure change as well as sustained economic growth which could be expected to have increased mobility across tenures but also the costs of immobility in both the labour and housing markets. It was also a period where allocations to the social sector were increasingly concentrated among more vulnerable households. Given these trends does social housing continue to stand out as particularly immobile? If so is the relative immobility an outcome of who lives in social housing rather than how the sector is managed? And do low levels of mobility have significant negative impacts generating labour market inefficiencies and poor use of social housing? This paper uses Survey of English Housing data for the decade of growth from the mid 1990s to examine the drivers of mobility across tenures and how these have changed over the period, with particular emphasis on outcomes in the social sector. These drivers are described and modelled for the study period and suggest that social sector tenants with similar characteristics are much less mobile than households in other tenures but that the costs of this immobility, while difficult to quantify may well be quite limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper puts forth a theory of the Industrial Revolution whereby an economy transitions from Malthusian stagnation to modern economic growth as firms implement cost-reducing production technologies. This take-off of industry occurs once the market reaches a critical size. The mechanism by which market size affects process innovation relies on two overlooked facts pre-dating England's Industrial Revolution: the expansion in the variety of consumer goods and the increase in firm size. We demonstrate this mechanism in a dynamic general equilibrium model calibrated to England's long-run development, and explore how various factors affected the timing of its industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of the sustainable development of rural economies in England has recently received considerable attention. This is because many of the poorest areas in the country are rural, often of high environmental quality, but suffering from high unemployment and a lack of services and facilities. The rapid decline in agricultural incomes and in-migration of affluent urban workers since 1990 has exacerbated economic inequality in such areas. A number of factors have the potential to drive rural development and this paper applies, and considers, the feasibility of a method from the USA for combining economic and environmental variables in a regional growth model to examine the hypothesis that environmental quality is an important determinant of sustainable rural development in England. The model output suggests that, although environmental quality does play a role in sustainable rural development in England there are other, more important, factors driving development. These include business and communications infra-structure, the degree and opportunities for commuting and underlying employment prospects. The robustness and limitations of the method for combining economic and environmental variables is discussed in relation to the spatial interrelatedness of Local Authority Districts in England, and conclusions are drawn about areas for refinement and improvement of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following an earlier explanation of planning practices in various cities on the Continent, with their emphasis on expansion, this second paper examines more closely England's century-long experiment with growth prohibitions for London to combat plague and urban unrest. Even with the prohibitions there was no slackening in building. Later, certain exceptions to building prohibitions in London evolved toward regulations for safety and aesthetics. By 1680, London's growth became tolerated, if not planned for, though the suburbs were still not incorporated into the City of London despite having substantially surpassed it in population. The basic arguments and professional/technical responses to all this building were much like today's, helping planners to refl ect upon their own present-day efforts in these regards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a quantitative theory of development that highlights three mechanisms that relate schooling, fertility, and growth. First, we point out that in the early stages of development, fertility and schooling may rise together as the schooling of younger children increases their relative contribution to family income when they turn working age. Second, the model contains a supply-side theory of schooling that generates a rise in schooling independent of technological change. Third, we introduce a direct negative effect of industrialization on fertility that does not operate through human capital and the quantity-quality tradeoff. An initial quantitative assessment of the theoretical mechanisms is conducted by calibrating and applying the model to United States history from 1800 to 2000. We find that the demise in family production is an important factor reducing fertility in the 19th century and schooling of older children is dominant factor reducing fertility in the 20th century. The same model is applied to England from 1740 to 1940, where we offer two complimentary explanations for the rise in fertility from 1740 to 1820. The first is based on the rapid expansion in the cottage industry and the second on the increased relative productivity of children. We also find that the subsequent fall in fertility from 1820 to 1940 cannot be explained without introducing child labor/compulsory schooling laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses productivity growth in the English coal trade during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are three methodological steps to related to productivity change in the coal trade: Identifying sources of productivity change; Measuring their effect on the productivity of the trade; Assessing the wider consequences for economic development. The bulk of the author's original article was concerned with identifying very clear sources of productivity change. Economist W. Hausman accepts the author's remarks concerning sources of productivity change and adds no further comment about them. His concentration is upon measuring productivity growth where he comes to different and more specific conclusions. On the third methodological step, the impact of productivity growth, he appears equivocal. On the one hand he suggests the impact was minimal and on the other that great benefits were brought to the economies of London and the north-east. Even if one were to accept Hausman's conclusion of minimal falls in shipping costs or freight rates, this does not rule out a growth of total factor productivity of the magnitude outlined in the author's paper.

The article presents some comments on the paper The Production Function and the Theory of Capital by economist Joan Robinson published in 1953. His paper was written near the start of the postwar revival of interest in the problems of economic growth and the pattern of income distribution over time. The first puzzle is to find a unit in which capital may be measured as a number, that is, an index, which is independent of relative prices and distribution, so that it may be inserted in a production function where along with labour, also suitably measured, it may explain the level of national output. Furthermore, in a perfectly competitive economy in which there is perfect foresight, this unit must be such that the partial derivative of output with respect to capital equals the reward to capital and the corresponding partial derivative of out- put with respect to labour equals the wage of labour. Moreover, there is a need to analyse a system of production in which capital-produced means of production is an aid to labour and analyse distribution in a capitalist economy in which the institutions are such that property in value capital means that its owners share in the distribution of the national income by receiving profits on their invested capital, where the amount of these profits is related to the technical characteristics of the system of production.

The article presents a discussion on the periodical literatures of 1969. Some of the literatures include: "The Explanation of English Regional Differences," by G.C. Homans, "Economic Growth in England Before the Industrial Revolution: Some Methodological Issues," by R.M. Hartwell and "Size and Structure of the Household in England Over Three Centuries," by Peter Laslett. Homan contends, a narrowly economic explanation to see regional social differences in terms of technical and geographical differences and leads to generalizations for which the evidence is inadequate, though it maybe less so in the Middle Ages than in the sixteenth century. The vexed question of the extent of aggregate economic growth in pre-industrial England is brought into the open again in a challenging paper by Hartwell. Surveying the current position, he reminds that despite the accumulating knowledge, ambiguity and uncertainty still reign. He concludes with a plea for greater definition of the problems to be investigated, and for more concern with ways of making the results of inquiries comparable.

The article provides information about the research paper presented at the Center for Economic Performance/Center for Economic Policy Research Conference titled "Growth, Trade and the Labour Market" which was held at the London School of Economics in England from July 11-12, 1997.

The Black Death is claimed to have caused the European Marriage Pattern in England by raising pastoral wages and thus delaying female marriage. We show that this argument does not hold. There is no consensus that late female marriage emerged in rural England after the Black Death. Women wanting to do pastoral work in medieval England did not have to remain unmarried, so improved pastoral opportunities did not necessitate later marriage. Nor does the quantitative relationship between pastoralism and female marriage age in England provide support for this argument. Fertility restriction was not exogenously triggered by the Black Death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study quantifies the incidence and influence of rapid growth among firms in a high technology milieu. We draw on evidence from a longitudinal database of technology firms in Cambridge UK. Resource configurations and the entrepreneurial matching of resources to opportunities are addressed, using Penrosian growth theory. We examine how certain knowledge-resources of start-ups are related to firms' subsequent growth. We examine various firm growth modes to track how they are associated with firm and regional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That financial matters did not constrain industrial takeoff in the UK is generally accepted in the historical literature; in contrast, contemporary empirical analyses have found evidence that financial development can be a causal determinant of economic growth. We look to reconcile these findings by concentrating on a particular aspect of industrializing UK where inefficiencies in finance could have had bite: the finance of physical infrastructures. We document the historical record and develop the importance of spatial disaggregation and spillovers in both technological and financial development. We develop a simple model that captures the nature of infrastructure finance within a theory of endogenous growth where financial costs are endogenous. We argue that the conception of the finance-growth nexus as a largely static, aggregative phenomenon misses out a good deal of complexity and we relate that complexity to a number of implications for regulation of both financial systems and the emergence of infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of the health impact assessment (HIA) was to inform economic development of a neighbourhood in Sheffield (England) and to use HIA as a tool to increase the participation of local communities in strategic development decisions. Community profiling and literature review was followed by analysis and prioritisation of policy and health impacts, and recommendations for policy change. A series of Standing Conferences were used to bring community, statutory and private sector perspectives together for debate. The paper reflects upon the extent to which the economic, environmental, and social HIA recommendations have been implemented, 2 years on. It concludes that most progress has been made where lobbying and action by local groups has been able to bring about change. Unsurprisingly regional and national policy making has proved harder to influence. Involvement of two community partnership groups was important in building community involvement. The learning is summarised in a 10 point list of factors which enable HIA to make a difference. It is concluded that participatory HIA can not only assist in identifying the integrated solutions which sustainable development requires, but also helps form the partnerships and alliances required to realise such solutions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Discusses the role of profits in the slave trade and slavery in the British industrial revolution. Importance of profits in the explanation of economic development; Influence of the Keynesian revolution.

Business cycles are among the most discussed topics in social sciences. Environmental changes, heatwaves and natural disasters as consequences of anthropogenic activities are headwinds to future economic growth and development. There is an ongoing debate on environmental degradation and its socio-economic impact. Here we investigate the existence of primary energy (coal, gas, oil, nuclear, solar, thermal, wind) cycles in England from 1700 to 2018. Using turning points methodology (Harding & Pagan, 2002), we isolate energy cycles and explain their phase characteristics. Offering empirical evidence of energy cycles existence should assist policymakers to gain additional quantitative knowledge to understand and contain business cycles. Fossil fuels energy cycles are closely linked to business cycles, but renewable energy cycles are pushing forward, targeting the leading role. Energy cycles are the missing link in the literature needed to understand business cycles and future economic development. In this study, we supply knowledge for understanding energy cycles and their relationship to the business cycles. The estimated concordance index reveals a systematic relationship between energy and business cycles with conclusive results. Energy cycles in this century will become a major force driving socio-economic events. Managers in the firms and policymakers on the macro-level will need knowledge on energy cycles since tracking energy cycles soon will become more important to tracking business cycles. To this end, our study contributes to the study of energy cycles as the source of business cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the Asia 2015 conference held in London, England on March 6-7, 2006. Around 150 delegates, mainly from Asia, attended the conference which was sponsored by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Promotion of sustainable growth, poverty reduction and economic development were the major themes of the conference.

The article presents information on the book "Analytic Narratives," by Robert H. Bates and co-workers. The book uses analytic narrative to blend rational choice analysis and narration in the study of institutions and their impact on political and economic behavior. Writer Anver Greif discusses self-enforcing political systems and economic growth in late medieval Genoa. Writer Jean-Laurent Rosenthal focuses on fiscal institutions in exploring how political institutions in England and France and came to diverge dramatically in the seventeenth century and why Old Regime France failed to evolve toward the British institutional model. Writer Margaret Levi considers the disappearance in France and the U.S. of various forms of buying one's way out of military service if conscripted and the role of democratization in this transformation. In addition to that, the article presents information on various other features of the book.

This article summarises the long-run decline in housing affordability in England and suggests this is substantially attributable to shortfalls in housing supply. Public attitudes to housing have become increasingly pro-development in recent years and the current policy framework – summarised in the article – seeks to provide a comprehensive and rounded response to the challenges facing the housing market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moksha Patam is a game associated with traditional Hindu philosophy that was later marketed in England as "Ladders and Snakes". The evolution of Brazil in the last twenty years, especially its trajectory as an "emerging power", can be analysed taking into consideration this ancient Indian game. Indeed, during the first decade of the 21st century, Brazil enjoyed a great political and economic bonanza. In its actions, both nationally and internationally, only the "ladders" seemed to prevail, which drove domestic economic growth, increased the social welfare of the lower and middle classes and promoted the country's international emergence. However, in the beginning of the second decade of the new century, and in the wake of the 2008 crisis, the international game as a whole began to suffer complications. This systemic variable quickly combined with growing internal problems that dragged Brazil towards multiple "snakes" that plunged the country into economic recession, the reprimarization of the economy and corruption. In this context, it is then necessary to pose the question: what are the ladders that the Brazilian government succeeded to climb and stay in that position? What factors can explain the recent and increasingly frequent snakes Brazil is entrapped in? From a theoretical point of view, the discussion presented here is framed, in a broad sense, in the debates related to the rise and fall of powers in the international structure. To what extent do the internal and external factors that explain the future of a given State condition its position in the global framework? Taking into account the case of Brazil: what are the consequences - both regarding its achievements and its recent troubles - for its international path? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Clark's claims about the scale of English agricultural output from the 1200s to the 1860s flout historical and geographical reality. His income‐based estimates start with the daily real wages of adult males and assume that days worked per year were constant. Those advanced in British economic growth make no such assumption and instead are built up from the output side. They correlate better with population trends and are consistent with an economy slowly growing and becoming richer. Clark's denial that such growth occurred, his assertion that substantially more land must have been under arable cultivation, his belief that conditions of full employment invariably prevailed in the countryside at harvest time, his concern that the wage bill would have exceeded the value of output in British economic growth, his refusal to consider the possibility that the working year was of variable length, and his assertion that output per acre must have been equalized across arable and pasture are all shown to be figments of his ‘Malthus delusion’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses newspaper advertisements to chart the changes in speeds and fares of stage coaches, identifying the main periods of increasing speeds among London coaches as the 1760s-80s and 1810s-20s, separated by a period when speeds declined. It then measures productivity growth. Fares of London coaches in 1835-6 were about 27 per cent of what they would have been but for improvements in horses, vehicles, and roads from 1750, and the two main periods of productivity growth correspond to those of rising speeds. Speeds and productivity of regional coaches increased more smoothly. The rising productivity firmly identifies road transport as one of the modernizing sectors of the economy. New figures are put forward for the growing number of London and regional coaches, indicating rapid growth in passenger miles. While turnpike trusts had little impact before the 1750s, their increasing effectiveness, together with the use of steel springs and improved horses, was crucial to the rising productivity of the 1760s-80s, and even more so to that of the 1810s-20s. The cross roads were apparently poorer than London roads in the late eighteenth century, but thereafter the gap narrowed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented which discusses the impact of commerce on literature during the time of English writer Daniel Defoe. It notes that writers during the Age of Defoe in had varying reactions to England's commercial growth in the 17th- to 18th-centuries. It cites that literary discussions about good taste were focused on key issues of that period such as the merits of government and the ritual of taking tea.

Debates are beginning to evolve on what might form the next generation of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The post-2015 debate stands to be a 'lightning rod' for fundamental questions of what development is about, and how to make it happen. In light of this, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) conducted over 100 interviews with Southern non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to collate reflections on the MDGs to date and how any MDGs 2.0 might reimagine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the role of social and geographical networks in structuring entry into premodern London's skilled occupations. Newly digitized apprenticeship indenture records for 1600–1749 offer little evidence that personal ties strongly shaped apprentice recruitment. The typical London apprentices had no identifiable tie to their master through kin or place of origin. Migrant apprentices' fathers were generally outside the craft sector. The apprenticeship market was strikingly open: well-to-do families accessed a wide range of apprenticeships, and would-be apprentices could match ability and aptitude to opportunity. This fluidity aided human capital formation, with obvious implications for economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents an examination of the relationship between law and society in early modern Scotland and England in an effort to provide insight on patterns of economic development and social change in these societies. It explores the meaning of custom in Scotland and England and examines its application to property, production and law in both societies. It also examines the development of landholding and agrarian change in Scotland and explores differences in the development in law in Scotland and England between the 12th and 18th centuries.

We investigate, both theoretically and quantitatively, a previously unexplored link between gains in adult mortality and productivity growth. Our mechanism allocates a central role to individuals as carriers of useful ideas and to personal contact as an important means of transferring these ideas. It thus implies that disrupting a human life impedes the process of knowledge transmission across time. We derive a simple and intuitive form of the dependence of aggregate knowledge transfer on adult mortality and incorporate it into a model of endogenous growth. We then quantitatively examine the relevance of the proposed link in application to the long-run growth experience of England. Our calibration exercise suggests that the reduction in adult mortality, by improving knowledge transmission across time and encouraging more innovation, was a quantitatively important force behind the takeoff in output per capita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid rise of England's colonial commerce in the late seventeenth century expanded the nation's resource base, stimulated efficiency improvements across the economy, and was important for long-term growth. However, close examination of the interests at play in England's Atlantic world does not support the Whiggish view that the Glorious Revolution played a benign role in this story. In the decades after the Restoration, the cases of the Royal African Company and the Spanish slave trade in Jamaica are used to show that the competition between Crown and Parliament for control of regulation constrained interest groups on either side in their efforts to capture the profits of empire. Stuart 'tyranny' was not able to damage growth and relatively competitive (and peaceful) conditions underpinned very rapid increases in colonial output and trade. The resolution of the rules of the Atlantic game in 1689 allowed a consolidated state better to manipulate and manage the imperial economy in its own interests. More secure rent-seeking enterprises and expensive wars damaged growth and European rivals began a process of catch-up. The Glorious Revolution was not sufficient to permanently halt economic development but it was sufficient to slow progress towards industrial revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers an examination of the patterns and motivations behind parish apprenticeship in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century London. It stresses continuity in outlook from parish officials binding children, which involved placements in both the traditional and industrializing sectors of the economy. Evidence on the ages, employment types, and locations of 3,285 pauper apprentices bound from different parts of London between 1767 and 1833 indicates a variety of local patterns. The analysis reveals a pattern of youthful age at binding, a range of employment experiences, and parish-specific links to particular trades and manufactures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often asserted that, between 1865 and 1914, economic dependence on British capital subjected settler societies to an unofficial imperialism wielded by the City of London. This article argues that both advocates and critics of such models, particularly in the recent controversy over 'gentlemanly capitalism', pay insufficient attention to the City itself. Using the Edwardian City's connections with Australia and Canada, it illustrates the range of financial intermediaries involved and explores their perceptions of political economy in these countries. It concludes that the City's influence (or 'structural power') was limited by its internal divisions and hazy conceptions of political economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although industrialization first occurred in England, it is thought that China, not England, may have been the world leader in technology at the time. Yet, China did not industrialize until 150 yr after England and nearly a century after less advanced European countries. This represents a puzzle because two-sector neoclassical growth models, such as Hansen and Prescott (2002) , that accurately match industrialization, require that more technologically advanced countries industrialize at an earlier date. I find that a model that accounts for cross-country heterogeneities in population density accurately predicts the timing of industrialization in China. ( JEL F43, N10, N30, O11, O14, O41) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of prostitution in the Medway towns of Kent, England from 1860 to 1885. The authors use a history research methodology of nominal record linkage to help provide more personal information about the women engaged in prostitution in the area such as theirs ages, backgrounds, experiences with the local authorities, and their eventual outcomes. A historiography of social histories dealing with 19th century prostitutes and prostitution is provided. The 19th century economic development of Kent and the effects of industrialization on women in the area are explored.

When introduced in 2004, spatial planning in England was set within the system of local governance, to perform a specific delivery role. This article sets out the system within which spatial planning now operates and the changes that this approach has introduced. It sets out the role of spatial planning in infrastructure planning and delivery, and there is a discussion of provenance of this style of spatial planning. The article reviews whether these changes represent a paradigm shift in the role of planning at the local level, where it is now integrated into the wider local governance architecture. The article concludes with a consideration of the potential effectiveness of spatial planning in this integrated role and prospects for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability of creative producers—businesses and individuals—depends in part on the state of the urban environment, especially the one of the street. Relationships with the street differ among creative producers with different power positions and levels of embeddedness in street life. Thus an approach to the sustainability of the creative city needs to move beyond the simplistic ideals of "mixed use" and "vitality" to an understanding of the complexity and continuity inherent in the production of creative spaces with respect to the multiple transactions of both the strong and weak stakeholders involved—the "wolves" and "lambs." The example used in this article, which draws on evidence from interviews with producers, is the film and television industry in Camden Town, London, in relation to the"experience" economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Barnes Willis, a famous British engineer of the twentieth century and his idea of the strength and decline of England. Willis was best remembered for his development of the Bouncing Bomb. His wartime work brought him significant recognition from the government and media alike. He was given the honor Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1943 for his work on bomber design. He argued that England had once been a mighty nation that had declined industrially, politically and morally. The nation's glory lay in its imperial might and mercantile dominance and its political and industrial decline were due to the loss of empire, cost of World War II and the inability to capitalize on English scientific discoveries and technological advances.

The article presents economic outlook for London, England as of May 2007. Real gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to increase by a further 3.6 percent this year on top of an estimated 4.4 percent in 2006. Increasing global demand for financial services and London's position as the most global of world cities reinforce a forecast of continuing strong economic growth for the city. Tables are presented that show detailed forecasts for employment sector by sector.

This article shows that the interaction between economic and demographic variables in England before the onset of modern economic growth did not fit some crucial assumptions of the Malthusian model. I estimated a vector autoregression for data on fertility, mortality and real wages over the period 1541–1840 applying a well-known identification strategy broadly used in macroeconomics. The results show that endogenous adjustment of population to real wages functioned as Malthus assumed only until the seventeenth century: positive checks disappeared during the seventeenth century and preventive checks disappeared before 1740. This implies that the endogenous adjustment of population levels to changes in real wages – one of the cornerstones of the Malthusian model – did not work during an important part of the period usually considered within the ‘Malthusian regime’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]