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Research & Resources (SWO Economy Module)

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This section is intended to signpost research documents and resources relevant to the South West economy.

Many of the data sources listed provide hard facts and figures about the South West economy. Also included is a list of key websites that provide up-to-date economic news, views and information.

If you are specifically interested in the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), Regional Accounts or Regional Index of Sustainable Economic Wellbeing, click on the links.

Resources & Publications Monitor
Search by keyword / categories. Click on the links to find out more about the resources listed. Resources are listed in publication date order.
Resources / Publications Monitor
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YearTitle OrganisationWebsite
09/05/2013Bank lending to UK Small and Medium...BISRead More
02/05/2013Underemployment in the UKNIESRRead More
01/05/2013Regional GDHI ONSRead More
02/04/2013Quarterly Economic Survey British Chambers of CommerceRead More
21/03/2013Middle Income HouseholdsONSRead More
28/01/2013Burden of debt in Great BritainONSRead More
21/01/2013Cities Outlook 2013Centre for CitiesRead More
18/01/2013Latest Retail Sales, December 2012ONSRead More
16/01/2013Micro-data perspectives on the UK...ONSRead More
15/01/2013Housing Associations and the EconomyNational Housing FederationRead More
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Data Sources

The South West Regional Accounts  includes key sub-regional figures for GVA, employment and productivity at a highly detailed industrial level for 1998 to 2008. In addition, the model incorporates an economic impact analysis tool, which allows users to determine the impact of positive or negative shocks to the SW economy and its parts.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides a wide variety of official economic and social statistics (see below).

Nomis is the primary source for sub-regional labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment, wages, claimants and qualification levels. Nomis is a highly flexible tool which enables the user to quickly and easily select and download data at varying levels of geography.

Neighbourhood Statistics, provided by ONS, is another useful source for low level geographic data, including deprivation, skills, health, housing and income. A suite of local profiles at local authority level on a number of topics including business, people, work, and education is also available through the Neighbourhood Summary section of the Neighbourhood Statistics website.

The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), provides statistics under three headings; food and farming; environment and wildlife; and rural and countryside.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) produces statistics on various subjects, including incomes and participation in DWP programmes.

Though now abolished by the coalition government, the Commission for Rural Communities website still contains much useful information, including the 2010 State of the Countryside report.

Key Datasets

These are some of the datasets that are often used:

Dataset Source Data description Lowest level data available
Regional and sub-regional GVA ONS Economic output by broad industry group NUTS 3
Regional Household Income ONS Gross-disposable household incomes NUTS 3
UK Business: Activity, Size and Location ONS Number of firms, sector, turnover and age of firm District, MSOA level accessed through Neighbourhood Statistics

Business Demography

ONS Birth, death and survival rates of firms District
Business Enterprise Research and Development ONS Research and development spending and employment, by sector Regional
Business Register and Employment Survey ONS Employment by industry.  Available from 2008 onwards, its predecessor was the Annual Business Inquiry. Regional.  LSOA on Nomis (need Chancellor of the Exchequer’s notice)
Annual Business Inquiry ONS Business turnover, purchases and employment by sector. Available from 1998 to 2008, now replaced by the Business Register and Employment Survey Regional.  Sub-regional on Nomis (need a Chancellor of the Exchequer's notice).
Labour Market Statistics ONS Various labour market data including employment, unemployment, activity, inactivity and claimants. Regional only. Sub-regional data can be found on Nomis
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings ONS Hours worked and remuneration provided, by industry and occupation District. Subsets of this data are provided on Nomis
Regional Economic Performance Indicators BIS Compilation of regional data including GVA, investment, research and development, education and skills, enterprise, exports, employment and unemployment, average earnings, deprivation, transportation and, derelict and vacant land.  Regional

Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Statistics for the UK and Regions

BIS

Number of enterprises, employment and turnover, by industry.  Unlike UK Business: Activity, Size and Location, it includes an estimate of unregistered enterprises. Now replaced by Business Population Estimates for the UK and Regions

 Regional

Business Population Estimates for the UK and Regions BIS

Number of private sector enterprises, employment and turnover, by employee size band.  Broken down by broad industry group.  Unlike UK Business: Activity, Size and Location, it includes an estimate of unregistered enterprises.  Replaces Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Statistics for the UK and Regions

Regional

UK Trade Statistics

HMRC

Importing and exporting statistics, by sector and country group (exported to or imported from).

To access regional data requires registration

 Housing Statistics

 CLG

 Various data on housing, including house prices and housing stock.

 Sub-regional

Corporate Research Programme

The Corporate Research Programme (CRP) was a strategic research programme managed by the South West RDA.
The Corporate Research Programme delivered a large number of interesting and relevant economic reports - a selection accessed below.

Key research documents includes:

External Research & Publications

This is the 2010 edition of the report. It represents a benchmarking of the competitiveness of the UK’s regions and localities. The UK Competitiveness Index has been designed as an integrated measure of competitiveness focusing on both the development and sustainability of businesses and the economic welfare of individuals. UKCI2010 Datasheet (Excel)

Released in January each year, this guide features the West Country's top 150 companies.

The third Annual Innovation Report. The report provides a snapshot of innovation in the UK and an opportunity to compare performance across years. It highlights that UK business spending on R&D remains low relative to other advanced countries, and it captures the decline in venture capital and private equity investment in the UK since 2008.

This is the first edition of the Innovation Union Scoreboard (IUS). Based on the previous European Innovation Scoreboard, the new tool is meant to provide a comparative assessment of the innovation performance of the EU27 Member States and the relative strengths and weaknesses of their research and innovation systems.

Training Resources

Economics Demystified training resources -The full PowerPoint presentations are available from the Economy Module training given in October 2010. Topics covered included: 
  • The principles of economics
  • Growth and productivity
  • Characteristics and challenges of the South West economy
  • Measuring economic performance: All you wanted to know about GVA
  • The South West Regional Accounts
  • The Rationale for intervening in the economy: Market failure, equity or opportunity?
  • Economic development: Learning from research

Data Visualisation training resources - Powerpoint presentations and a ‘Resources, Tips and Applications’ document give lots of tips on how to present data in an accurate and eye-catching way.

Glossary of Economic Terms - A glossary of commonly used economic terms. This specifically links in with the resources used at the Economics Demystified training event.

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