Manchesterism, the Manchester Model and Inclusive Growth
Join us for the final Vital Topics lecture in our Global series.
- Event Time
- 21 Oct 16:30 - 21 Oct 18:00
- Event Location
- Alliance Manchester Business School
- Event Type
- Business speakers, Online, Original Thinking Applied
Manchester has often been presented as one of the UK's most successful examples of place-based economic development.
But what can the "Manchester Model" really tell us about boosting productivity, attracting investment and driving inclusive growth across the country?
Taking place shortly ahead of the Chancellor's Autumn Budget, this Vital Topics Global event will bring together leading economists, policy specialists and regional stakeholders to discuss the latest evidence on Manchester's economic success. The panel will explore the role of devolution, long-term institutional collaboration, university-business partnerships and international investment in shaping Greater Manchester's development.
The discussion will move beyond celebration to ask harder questions. Which aspects of Manchester's experience have genuinely driven productivity and growth? What challenges remain? And to what extent can the conditions behind Manchester's success be replicated in other places facing different economic realities?
Against the backdrop of a renewed national focus on growth, industrial strategy and regional development, the panel will consider what lessons policymakers, business leaders and local institutions can take from Manchester's experience, and where caution is needed when applying the model elsewhere.
Panellists
Henri Murison MBE
Henri is the Chief Executive at The Northern Powerhouse Partnership. Since his appointment in 2017 he has established the partnership as the business led organisation which convenes the North together.
From having made the case consistently for Northern Powerhouse Rail, to challenging for a better deal for the most disadvantaged from the education system, his team are focused on how government, business and partners can drive the North’s ambitions.
Professor Melanie Jones
Melanie is a Professor of Economics at Cardiff Business School and is the Academic Lead on the Wales Productivity Forum.
Her research in empirical labour economics involves the quantitative analysis of large-scale secondary data. She has worked on a variety of policy relevant issues but has a particular interest in gender equality and the interaction between health and the labour market
Professor Nigel Driffield
Nigel is a Professor of International Business and the Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Regional Engagement at Warwick Business School.
His main research interests are economics of international business with a focus on the nexus between firm strategy, such as location decisions, and local responses seeking to influence this in both the home and the host country. He is on several editorial review boards and also works with a number of local and national stakeholders on issues relating to inward investment and economic development.
Professor Philip McCann
Philip McCann specialises in spatial economics and economic geography and is one of the UK’s most highly cited social scientists. He has also been a Special Adviser to two European Commissioners, an advisor to the European Commission, the OECD, the European Investment Bank, as well as government ministries and research institutes in several countries.
He joined The University of Manchester in July 2022 from the University of Sheffield. In May 2024, he was appointed the Sir Terry Leahy Chair in Urban and Regional Economics.
Professor Jun Du - facilitator
Jun is an applied economist whose main research interest is to understand the driving forces and impediments of productivity enhancement and economic growth, from multi-level dimensions of individuals, firms, industries, regions, governments, and their interplays, in both developed and emerging economic contexts (China in particular). She is Director of the Centre for Business Prosperity at Aston University.
In August 2026, Jun was appointed Managing Director of The Productivity Institute, where she leads the Institute into its next phase of research, policy engagement and impact.
Vital Topics Global
Vital Topics is our series of prestigious business lectures, bringing powerful ideas and original thinking to audiences from the Manchester city-region and beyond.
AMBS has partnered with Manchester's leading property developer, Renaker, to extend this to a global lecture series in four international centres: Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore.