Negotiating Economic Growth and Geopolitical Risks: Regional Impacts and Implications of Chinese investments in the UK, 2000-2020
This project addresses a major and surprisingly under-addressed gap in regional studies, namely the role of geopolitics in regional economic resilience. Through examining whether subnational regions (firms, local authorities and workers) in the UK are willing to trade off national security risks (both real and perceived) for new investments by Chinese firms, the study aims to ascertain and explain the tensions that exist between international geopolitics and subnational growth strategies. In doing so, it integrates geopolitics firmly in the conceptual framing of regional economic resilience.
“I’m delighted to be awarded the MeRSA grant because it offers an excellent opportunity to address a timely issue – the implications and value of investments from Chinese firms – pertaining to regional development in advanced economies. The grant will provide support for obtaining data that highlights how important geopolitics impact subnational regional resilience. I’m very excited to launch this study as I believe it addresses a distinct gap in how we currently understand and conceptualise regional resilience.”