Cultural, Digital and Regional Economic Geographies of the North East (RDF17/BAM/MORDUE)

In the age of austerity, regional economic development has taken on a new significance. Indeed, George Osbourne, when Chancellor of the Exchequer, launched the Northern Powerhouse to rebalance the UK economy away from the southeast towards the north of England, and cities such as Manchester are now closely associated with the Northern Powerhouse. Newcastle upon Tyne, and the northeast more generally, is however often overlooked by the Northern Powerhouse even though its leaders argue that it needs economic revival more than any other English region as it continues to suffer from the collapse of its traditional heavy industries.

That said, and perhaps paradoxically, the northeast is home to one of the UK’s most vibrant ICT sectors outside of London. The region is also home to five universities, making education one of the region’s most significant industries. Would-be students are attracted to the northeast not only by the quality of its educational institutions but by the physical and cultural environment it offers, which encourages many students to stay after they graduate. Those graduates who have become grounded in the region are now playing a key role in developing its economy and culture, and are at the forefront of forging a more global regional identity that is so important to attracting increasingly footloose business. The northeast LEP and the Newcastle/Gateshead Initiative are acutely aware of the need to attract and retain such talent for the region. They also voice the clarion call that educational excellence goes hand-in-glove with cultural and economic development in creating mutually supporting alliances that attract inward investment, particularly from high tech and digital industries, while ‘bootstrapping’ the region’s creative and entrepreneurial energy.

Drawing on disciplines such as geography, business and regional studies, this project will have a multidisciplinary perspective and will investigate the interplay between three integrated geographies in the northeast - cultural, high tech/digital and economic – to examine how well they work together in terms of regional development. It will also use a range of methodological approaches to measure how cultural and economic development initiatives have to-date been mutually beneficial to the northeast. From here the study will explore how the three geographies might best combine to generate and shape future socio-economic opportunities in Newcastle upon Tyne, as the regional capital, and the wider northeast region.

By way of comparison, the study will look to draw on lessons learned in other post-industrial European city regions - such as Malmo in Sweden, and Eindhoven in the Netherlands - where educational institutions have combined with cultural and entrepreneurial development to effect successful regional development.

Eligibility and How to Apply
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required (evidence required by 1 August 2017).

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please ensure you quote the advert reference above on your application form.
Deadline for applications: 20 January 2017
Start Date: 2 October 2017

Northumbria University is an equal opportunities provider and in welcoming applications for studentships from all sectors of the community we strongly encourage applications from women and under-represented groups.