Inclusive Growth Commission

Launched in April, 2016, the Inclusive Growth Commission is an independent, impactful inquiry designed to understand and identify practical ways to make local economies across the UK more economically inclusive and prosperous. Chaired by Stephanie Flanders, former BBC economics editor and J.P. Morgan Chief Market Strategist (UK and Europe), and building on the success of the RSA’s City Growth Commission, the Commission will seek to devise new models for place-based growth, which enable the widest range of people to participate fully in, and benefit from, the growth of their local area.

The RSA City Growth Commission demonstrated how the largest UK cities can drive prosperity through place-based investment and economic policy making, enabled through devolution and new forms of governance and finance. This economic narrative has since driven policy developments, but it has become increasingly urgent to understand how we can deepen and broaden this vision, tackling the entrenched inequalities within and between neighbourhoods that act as a drag on growth, and ensuring that the benefits of this place-based approach are more widely shared.

Devolution deals have made a start, but devolution must be socially, economically and geographically inclusive if it is to be the key to resilient, dynamic places. It is also increasingly important to establish how towns and cities outside the key metropolitan areas are going to join in this new devolution strategy and participate in its benefits. 

Commission structure and objectives

The Commission will focus its evidence gathering on the three main research themes above, through a combination of: a call for written evidence, formal evidence hearings, expert seminar sessions, deep-dive case studies from around the world, and citizen engagement where possible.

The Commission’s key objective will be to understand the characteristics of successful places and how, by addressing social, economic and health challenges in the round, they can become more self-sustainable and prosperous. It will aim to develop a policy framework for inclusive, place-based growth that integrates social and economic policy. This will be used to develop a series of principles and recommendations to guide central and local government investing and spending decisions, and to influence and support local and national government to implement policies for inclusive growth and system change.

To achieve these objectives, the Commission plans to present a robust, authoritative and compelling case for change and devise new, ambitious measures and mechanisms for how this change can happen. It will seek to create momentum for change throughout the lifespan of the Commission (and thereafter) by working with a range of stakeholders across local and national government, as well as business and civil society leaders, and turn our project stakeholders into leading advocates of the Commission and its recommendations.

Read our Inclusive Growth Commission Prospectus and view our open call for evidence.

Commissioners 

Secretariat 

Funders and partners

The Commission is being kindly supported by the following organisations:

The Commission will also be collaborating with a number of national and international organisations to exchange information and participate in seminars and other forms of engagement. 

As part of our evidence collection we will receive insights from the Greater Manchester Growth and Inclusion Review and will share information from the Commission’s activity with the Review’s Secretariat, New Economy.  New Economy is also working with the Commission to develop an economic base for inclusive growth. We will also be sharing knowledge and information with the OECD on our complementary programmes on inclusive growth.