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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson
@rjson.bsky.social
290 followers 380 following 120 posts
Analyst, Centre for Cities. All things urban economics - mainly skills & labour markets, living standards, transport, and innovation. Fan of working with data and visualising it.
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 3
It's not just Oxbridge that are 'university towns' - they are a big presence in many other cities, often with struggling economies.

So @xuanrulin.bsky.social and I wanted to investigate the economic roles these institutions play in their cities, and what this might mean for national HE policy.

👇
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · 5d
Both articles with good points on university spin-outs: the issue isn't start-ups but scale-ups in the UK (no doubt because of big city underperformance); and limits of the science-park model. And our recent work: universities have less impact on local innovation than you might think (even Oxbridge)
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Reposted by Rob Johnson
paulnightingale.bsky.social
Paul Nightingale @paulnightingale.bsky.social · 7d
Very nice piece on the evidence on getting a university degree in the UK by @amyborrett.ft.com

www.ft.com/content/3df3...
No, the UK has not reached ‘peak graduate’
The salary and non-salary data show degrees still deliver for students in the long run
www.ft.com
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Reposted by Rob Johnson
jacktshaw.bsky.social
jacktshaw.bsky.social @jacktshaw.bsky.social · 14d
I've written in The MJ with Patrick Diamond about London devolution.

Stronger governance and more fiscal autonomy are important enablers to get London motoring, alongside more muscle to build infrastructure and homes:
www.themj.co.uk/stronger-dev...
Stronger devo can solve the London problem
Before Labour entered Downing Street in July last year, the Conservatives had a fractious relationship with London's mayor. The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps,...
www.themj.co.uk
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · 15d
Branch campuses are popping up in university 'coldspots'. Would attracting one in be a good way to achieve local growth?

Possibly. Though often these outposts only pop up in places already with an offer - specific strengths in their local economy. Worth investing in these first.

👇
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · 29d
I set this in a summary blog of our work, taking four cities (Plymouth, Exeter, Coventry, Cambridge) as examples of where universities play different - and important - local roles. Shows where their impacts spill beyond their campuses and in what way
A tale of four cities: what local economic role do their universities play? - Centre for Cities
Plymouth, Exeter, Coventry and Cambridge are examples for what different university roles mean for pursuing local growth.
www.centreforcities.org
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · 29d
Happy that our work on universities is the basis for a thoughtful Guardian editorial on the state of the sector.

In economic terms, 'universities are not ivory towers'. Reforms to the sector are a part the mission to deliver growth across the country - it is up to Government to recognise that.
The Guardian view on university finances: stop chipping away at a crumbling system | Editorial
Editorial: Economic and academic activity are bound up together. Charging international students more for less will not fix deep-seated problems
www.theguardian.com
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Reposted by Rob Johnson
wonkhe.bsky.social
Wonkhe @wonkhe.bsky.social · Sep 8
NEW on Wonkhe: Regulatory and financial incentives are harming growth. James Coe sets out why it's time to reform them. buff.ly/fPVFJ8y
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 8
There is plenty to like about this pledge to help universities diversify income. But it really doesn't tackle the wider issues they face, or recognise their primary local roles in their home cities.

My blog on last week's announcement 👇
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 5
There's much more in our Town and Gown report, asking: what are the roles that universities really play in their home city's economy?
Town and gown: The role of universities in city economies - Centre for Cities
This briefing sets out how local universities contribute to cities’ economic development as high-skilled employers, international exporters, catalysts for city-centre regeneration and innovators.
www.centreforcities.org
rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 5
See also: balancing objectives between immigration policy and ambitions to deliver growth everywhere.

E.g. Look at all the cities more reliant on unis for international exports (i.e. overseas fees and local spending) than Oxford.

Place-based impact cannot be ignored
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 4
Hi Paula - our work focuses on the UK's 63 largest cities and towns, so we consider only these places (and the unis registered in those places). It means we don't directly consider universities such as Lincoln, Bath, or Cantebury.

I've linked our city defnition - hope this helps!
Centre for Cities City Definition
Centre for Cities defines a city as a 'Primary Urban Area' and looks at 63 across the UK This page explains what they are and which cities are included.
www.centreforcities.org
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 4
This article is an excellent write up of our work on universities and their economic role in UK cities.

A balanced account on what they can (and can't) do in local economies, and a recognition that any reforms to the sector must take place into consideration.
eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Sep 4
'underpinning all of this is an inescapable truth. Government policy, particularly on international students, risks destroying economic activity in the places that desperately benefit from university.'
Universities can't solve every problem with the economy
Universities make places richer but not in the same way everywhere
wonkhe.com
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Reposted by Rob Johnson
path-dependent.bsky.social
Nick Gray @path-dependent.bsky.social · Sep 3
Good briefing.

As I always say, in England's poorest region - the north east - there are three times as many jobs in higher education than there are in the manufacture of motor vehicles.
centreforcities.bsky.social
Centre for Cities @centreforcities.bsky.social · Sep 3
NEW BRIEFING | Town and gown 🏙️🎓

How do local universities contribute to cities’ economic development as high-skilled employers, international exporters, catalysts for city-centre regeneration and innovators?

Read the briefing 🔎👇
buff.ly/qhkNzSi
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Reposted by Rob Johnson
henryoverman.bsky.social
Henry G Overman @henryoverman.bsky.social · Sep 3
An important point from @centreforcities.bsky.social on the uneven impact of the university crisis. While bigger universities matter for the national impact, the local economic impact will be bigger where smaller universities dominate their local economy www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
Town and gown: The role of universities in city economies - Centre for Cities
This briefing sets out how local universities contribute to cities’ economic development as high-skilled employers, international exporters, catalysts for city-centre regeneration and innovators.
www.centreforcities.org
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Reposted by Rob Johnson
antbreach.bsky.social
Ant Breach @antbreach.bsky.social · Sep 3
Our new briefing is about the role of universities in their local economies.

The short version is - places don't need a university to be prosperous, but where cities have them they are sizable chunk of the local knowledge economy.
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 3
Thanks for sharing Owen. We do acknowledge the dispersal of innovation around Cambridge (and Oxford) in the report, in part due to their admin geography being underbounded. We plan to write up a separate blog on this subject in the next week or so - will keep you posted!
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 3
It's not just Oxbridge that are 'university towns' - they are a big presence in many other cities, often with struggling economies.

So @xuanrulin.bsky.social and I wanted to investigate the economic roles these institutions play in their cities, and what this might mean for national HE policy.

👇
1 1
rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 3
Government wants to deliver growth everywhere with its 'Plan for Change'. It must recognise that policy impacting universities without considering the impact on place may cut across this. Some may be small on a national scale, but large on a local one.

See our full report 'Town and Gown' here 👇
Town and gown: The role of universities in city economies - Centre for Cities
This briefing sets out how local universities contribute to cities’ economic development as high-skilled employers, international exporters, catalysts for city-centre regeneration and innovators.
www.centreforcities.org
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 3
And unis are reliant on international fees for income (funding models affect incentives!).

So curbs will hit cities where they are a large share of job opportunities for high-skilled workers. In Stoke/Plymouth they are crucial given small private sectors. More important in Hull than Edinburgh.
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Sep 3
Why? Unis are big international exporters in their cities - they bring in overseas student fees and spending.

9 of top 10 English cities where universities are most important for exports are outside the Greater South East. Leicester will feel this far more than Oxford.
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Aug 20
Hi Jack - charging international tourists for museums could certainly do that. But it is not the role of local tourism levies to create headroom for a national policy! And the numbers don't add up. I was making the exact opposite argument when I made that chart - see here 👇

bsky.app/profile/rjso...
rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Aug 20
This is the one chart you need to understand why free museums - a national policy - should have nothing to do with the ability for mayors to raise, collect, and spend taxes locally based on their local visitor economy.

Local levers should not support national policy!

Read the blog below 👇
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Aug 20
This is the one chart you need to understand why free museums - a national policy - should have nothing to do with the ability for mayors to raise, collect, and spend taxes locally based on their local visitor economy.

Local levers should not support national policy!

Read the blog below 👇
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Aug 7
I see the value in a tourist tax not from the top-up argument (sums even in London would be insufficient) but as the most politically palatable way to demo the benefits of fiscal devo and start the pathway to conversations around other local taxes (such as council tax).

Expressed in my recent blog:
Tourist taxes: The acceptable face of fiscal devolution? - Centre for Cities
City regions want powers to raise levies on overnight stays. This should reflect less on their visitor economies, and more on the growth-incentivising principles of fiscal devolution.
www.centreforcities.org
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Aug 6
Me on why city regions should carry on pushing for powers to tax tourists - it's not about the tourists themselves!

A local, flexible, and fully retained tax could demonstrate the growth principles of fiscal devolution in microcosm - for city regions, this is an opportunity to not pass up 👇
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rjson.bsky.social
Rob Johnson @rjson.bsky.social · Aug 4
So mayors should take this seriously as an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of fiscal devolution in microcosm.

This could then get a national government thinking about incentivising local growth on a level playing field to consider business rates / income tax. Tourist taxes are a first step.