City-regions: new geographies of uneven development and inequality

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a burgeoning literature on the 'new regionalism'. Protagonists, both at an academic and political level, have made persuasive arguments on the existence of regions and successful models of economic and social development. Critics of the new regionalism have been suggesting a need to problematise several issues: the role of the national state in underpinning regional economic development; the economic connections between regions and cities in terms of innovation and competitiveness; and more recently conflicts between securing competitiveness and managing the everyday politics of collective consumption and social reproduction in a city-region (CR). Set within the context of UK 'regional policy', this paper adds to this body of knowledge by discussing the relationships between city-regional competitiveness, work-welfare regimes - those policies and strategies dealing with labour market governance and welfare state restructuring - labour market inequalities and low pay. Ongoing research on the Sheffield City-Region is used to explore this.