As British and American policy makers look to high-tech manufacturing to boost their economies, the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Advanced Studies’ distinguished visiting fellow, Professor Susan Christopherson, is set to warn against moves that could inhibit the recovery.

The leading professor of city and regional planning from Cornell University will deliver a public lecture as part of her work on the Institute’s theme: ‘Regeneration Economies’ on Tuesday  24th September 2013.

In it, Prof Christopherson will discuss factors encouraging a more robust manufacturing sector in the US and UK and how the dominance of financial motives and incentives - “financialization” - inhibits the potential for rebalancing. 

The lecture, entitled: “Advanced manufacturing and rebalancing the UK and US economies: What role does financialization play?” will be held 4.30pm-5.30pm at the Barber Institute Lecture Theatre, University of Birmingham.

Professor Christopherson said of her work: “There is recognition in both the US and UK that manufacturing matters, not only because of the jobs it creates but also because of its stimulus to innovation and its contribution to exports. National and regional policy makers are taking a new look at manufacturing and attempting to lure more production firms. We need to understand both sides of the new manufacturing equation: what factors are prompting firms to take another look at UK and US locations and can our economies provide the finance, labour force, and research that firms are seeking?"

Those wishing to attend the lecture should email s.myring@bham.ac.uk

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For more information please contact Deborah Walker, PR Manager for Policy and Social Affairs, University of Birmingham on 0121 414 9041 or 07776 465138 or email d.s.walker.1@bham.ac.uk Out of Hours please call 07789 921165 or email pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk

1. Susan Christopherson is an economic geographer whose research and teaching focuses on economic development, urban labour markets, and location patterns in service industries, particularly the media industries.

In the past three years she has completed studies on advanced manufacturing in New York’s Southern Tier, the photonics industry in Rochester, the role of universities and colleges in revitalising the upstate New York economy, and production trends affecting media industries in New York City.

Her current projects include studies of phoenix industries in old industrial regions and a comprehensive economic impact analysis of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale in New York and Pennsylvania.

2. The University of Birmingham’s Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) aims to promote interdisciplinary research by combining expertise from across the breadth of the University to address major cross-cutting themes that are important, relevant and timely.