Richard Jones

@richardaljones.bsky.social

Emeritus Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy, University of Manchester. Science & innovation policy, regional economic growth, polymer physics.
www.softmachines.org

@richardaljones.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 9:33 AM

But are there any clues as to what Burnham really thinks about economic growth?
A radical suggestion - we could actually read what he’s said about it, & set that in the context of lots of prior thinking about regional economic growth from academics, think tanks & politicians
softmachines.org?p=3324

@richardaljones.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 9:33 AM

It’s certainly true that Burnham seems lukewarm about some of the conventional wisdom that has delivered the striking growth performance of the last twenty years…

@richardaljones.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 9:33 AM

Another confident statement from a metropolitan commentator that Andy Burnham doesn't have a "theory of growth". I think this says more about the insularity and lack of curiosity of the author than about AB
www.ft.com/content/59ce...

@richardaljones.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 11:16 AM

Thanks! I like to give credit where it's due, for regional policy that works.

@richardaljones.bsky.social Oct 2, 2026, 4:43 PM

I don’t think this headline is a fair reflection of my piece, which argued that some RD&I funding at the innovation end should be devolved, while funding for discovery science & national priorities should be retained by UKRI.
Full piece here:
softmachines.org?p=3364

@richardaljones.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 1:02 PMReposted by @richardaljones.bsky.social

What does govt's plan to "rewire the state" & shift power & funding to local leaders mean for research, development & innovation spending?
I summarise the rationale for devolution of RD&I funding, & identify potential pitfalls, before outlining some tentative principles
softmachines.org?p=3364

@richardaljones.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 1:02 PM

@paulswinney.bsky.social Sep 28, 2026, 10:23 AMReposted by @richardaljones.bsky.social

We don't measure the most important part of the economy in official statistics. Every economist and policymaker should be concerned about this:

@richardaljones.bsky.social Sep 28, 2026, 10:46 AM

Good piece. It should be obvious that technological progress is very uneven, and that productivity growth is disproportionately driven by a relatively small number of firms operating in sectors where fast technological progress is taking place, but this is not widely enough appreciated.

@richardaljones.bsky.social Sep 18, 2026, 1:49 PMReposted by @richardaljones.bsky.social

"R&D, place, and developing regional innovation systems: some lessons from Greater Manchester".
I gave a talk with this title at Imperial College's Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance last Tuesday - a summary, and the slides, can be found here:
softmachines.org?p=3350

@richardaljones.bsky.social Sep 18, 2026, 1:49 PM

@owenjackson.bsky.social Sep 16, 2026, 8:51 AMReposted by @richardaljones.bsky.social

Agreed. Other than small refs to ITER, it is a very US-skewed article. No mention of STEP/Culham, First Light et al or the strong German sector (Proxima etc). The article points out the issue of pilot/commercialisation but doesn't then discuss the leading pilot projects outside of the US.

@richardaljones.bsky.social Sep 16, 2026, 8:31 AM

UK govt committed ~ £500m pa to STEP, with a site in north Notts. Success isn't guaranteed, but imo this is a v credible programme building on the UK's experience running JET and MAST at Culham. A rare area of genuine UK comparative advantage & technical capability
softmachines.org?p=3229

@richardaljones.bsky.social Sep 16, 2026, 8:31 AM

Good to see FT covering the new wave of fusion energy start-ups, with expert commentary from Princeton's Steve Cowley, but a major omission not to mention the UK's STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) project, with goal of putting electricity on the grid by 2040
www.ft.com/content/ef51...

@richardaljones.bsky.social Aug 28, 2026, 1:14 PMReposted by @richardaljones.bsky.social

In the Economist today:
“The false lure of factories: British politicians want a manufacturing jobs boom”
I’m quoted in the piece, & my views are fairly represented.
But imo the piece spends too much time on soft targets
www.economist.com/britain/2026...

@richardaljones.bsky.social Aug 28, 2026, 1:14 PM

But reasonable to think that, at 8% of GDP, manufacturing share of the UK economy is too low. We can look to richer countries, with higher manufacturing shares, like Switzerland (18%) and Singapore (16%).
More on the good and bad reasons to support manufacturing here:
softmachines.org?p=3180

@richardaljones.bsky.social Aug 28, 2026, 1:14 PM

& I agree we shouldn’t try to revive lost heavy industry of 1970s, much of which was technologically backward & unresponsive to changing markets, poorly managed, & with poor labour relations.
(For an example, see my review of a recent book on the Sheffield Heavy Spring Trade)
softmachines.org?p=3343

@richardaljones.bsky.social Aug 28, 2026, 1:14 PM

I do agree with the piece that we shouldn’t be looking for a manufacturing jobs boom - precisely because we should support manufacturing for its potential for productivity growth, not jobs created. So we should be looking for high productivity niches to build on and expand

@richardaljones.bsky.social Aug 28, 2026, 1:14 PM

Where does productivity growth come from? Leading sector for TFP growth is ICT, reflecting technological progress. Manufacturing comes in second. A big drop in mining reflects exhaustion of North Sea oil But productivity in both finance & professional services has *dropped*

@richardaljones.bsky.social Aug 28, 2026, 1:14 PM

We’re in the second decade of a period of economic stagnation unprecedented for a century. The everyday effect of flatlining productivity has been the worst wage stagnation in living memory, & fiscal consequences are inability to fund public services & defend the country

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