The growing conversation around “Manchesterism” reflects a welcome shift in how the UK is thinking about economic growth.
It recognises that long-term prosperity will not only come from a single national strategy, but from empowering regions to build on their own competitive advantages through local leadership, investment and collaboration.
As that debate continues, it is worth considering another established model of place-based innovation.
If Manchester illustrates the benefits of devolved leadership and civic ambition, Cambridge demonstrates how globally competitive innovation ecosystems develop over time.
While the two places have evolved in different ways, each offers valuable lessons for policymakers seeking to strengthen regional economies. In that sense, “Cambridgeism” is a framework for understanding how innovation-led growth happens.
Cambridge’s success has been shaped over decades by the interaction between world-class research, entrepreneurial talent, investment, industry partnerships and the infrastructure that enables organisations to work alongside one another....
