1992  PhD in Geography, University of Manchester 'The social regulation of banking'

1987  BA (Hons) First Class, Geography, University of Manchester

Professor Tickell took up his post at the University of Birmingham in early 2011. He is an economic geographer whose work on developing a new political economic geography is amongst the most influential of his generation.  His work has explored finance, English local governance and the politics of ideas.

He is also a distinguished academic leader and manager, both in a university context and as a scholar.  He served for two years as Vice Principal (Research, Enterprise & Communications) at Royal Holloway, University of London after serving for two years as the Dean of the Faculty of History & Social Sciences at the same institution.  Prior to his time at RHUL, he was the Research Director in the Faculty of Social Sciences & Law at the University of Bristol from 2003-2006.  He served as Vice Chair of the ESRC Research Grants Board  from 2007 to 2010 and from 2002 to 2007 was the Editor of Transactions, Institute of British Geographers, one of the top three journals in Geography globally and amongst the best-cited social science journals.  He was a member of the Finch Group, on open access, and the Open Data User Group to the Cabinet Office. 

He has held chairs in Geography at the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, and Southampton, and at Royal Holloway, University of London.  He was an ESRC Research Fellow from 1995-1998, before which he held lectureships in Geography at the Universities of Leeds and Manchester. 

He is a member of the Council of the Academy of Social Sciences.  He received the Anniversary Award from the journal Environment and Planning A for the most innovative article published in 1995.  He has also served as a Council Member and Trustee of the Royal Geographic Society and a Faculty Research Fellow for the Canadian High Commission.  His influence extends beyond Geography and across the Social Sciences. 

Professor Tickell's main research interest lies in developing a renewed political economic geography. 

First, since his PhD research, which developed the work of the French regulation school in order to understand the transformation of the City of London and satellite financial centres in the UK, he has maintained his interests in the geography of finance to this day and his work here has analysed the ways in which social, cultural and geographical processes transform the seemingly neutral world of money.  This research also led to his joint research project with Gordon Clark (Mackinder Professor at Oxford) on the framing of global rules in the financial sector and the extent to which national states become subservient to – and able to shape and resist – international standards and codes.

Second, he has long-standing interests in the state and geographically uneven development. This research has explored, for example, the uneven economic geography of the United Kingdom and the unsuccessful experiment with devolution to the English regions (with Peter John, Hallsworth Professor of Governance at the University of Manchester), as well as a series of more theoretical interventions on the reshaping of the local state.

Third, his main current interests revolve around the development and transformation of neoliberalism within the UK and the US and theorising its spatial development.  This research is both empirical and theoretical and currently involves an analysis of the ways in which ideas brokers in think tanks and policy advocacy groups contributed to the creation and maintenance of the liberal ‘common sense’.  Drawing upon outstanding research access to conservative think tanks and advocacy groups in the US and UK, Jamie Peck (Professor at the University of British Columbia) and Professor Tickell explored structural and ideational accounts of neoliberalism.

Professor Tickell's work scores highly using any of the standard bibliometrics (for example, it has been cited over 5000 times on Google Scholar) and it is influential in a range of disciplines.  He is included in Who’s who in economics and regularly invited as a speaker to national and international meetings.  He has been invited by HM Treasury, the DTI and members of the House of Commons to present his research to them.  He has attracted over £400,000 in research income as a principal investigator (excluding research student fees and stipends).  He is a natural collaborator with scholars across the social sciences and has collaborated on research and book projects in geography, sociology, political science and Science and Technology Studies.  His latest edited collection (with Nigel Thrift, Steve Woolgar and William Rupp) will be published shortly by Oxford University Press.

Edited books

Barnes T, Peck J, Sheppard E and Tickell A (2003) Reading economic geography (Blackwell)

Tickell A, Sheppard E, Peck J and Barnes J (eds) (2007) Politics and practice in economic geography (London, Sage)

Thrift N J, Tickell A and Woolgar S (eds) (2011) Globalization in practice (Oxford, OUP) In preparation

Academic journal papers

Tickell A (2007) Signing off Transactions, Institute of British Geographers   32 (4) 441-442 (editorial)

Clark GL and Tickell A (2006) Global Standards Environment and Planning A 37, 1901-1902

Tickell A (2005) Editorial matters Transactions, Institute of British Geographers  30 (3): 265-266 (editorial)

Tickell A, John P, Musson S (2005) The north east region referendum campaign of 2004: Issues and turning points Political Quarterly 76: 488-496

John P Musson S and Tickell A (2005) Governing the mega-region: governance and networks across London and the South East of England New Political Economy 10, 91-106

Musson S, Tickell A and John P (2005) ‘A decade of decentralisation? Assessing the role of the government offices for the English regions’ Environment and Planning A 37 (8): 1395-1412

Clark GL, Thrift N, Tickell A (2004) Performing finance: the industry, the media and its image Review of International Political Economy 11 (2): 289-310

Tickell A (2004) Transactions matters Transactions, Institute of British Geographers 29, 1, 3-5 (editorial)

Tickell A (2003) Signing on Transactions, Institute of British Geographers 28, 1, 3-5 (editorial)

Tickell A (2003) Pensions and politics Environment and Planning A 35, 1381-1384

Tickell A (2002) Progress in the geography of services: time to move on? Progress in Human Geography 26 (6) 791-801

John P, Musson S, Tickell A (2002) England's problem region: Regionalism in the South East Regional Studies 36 (7): 733-741 

Musson S, Tickell A and John P (2002) Building a World Class Region: Regional Strategy in the South East of England Local Economy 17 (3) 216 - 225 

Peck J, Tickell A (2002) Neoliberalizing space Antipode 34 (3): 380-404

Clark GL, Mansfield D, Tickell A (2002) Global finance and the German model: German corporations, market incentives, and the management of employer-sponsored pension institutions Transactions, Institute of British Geographers 27 (1): 91-110 

Clark GL, Mansfield D, Tickell A (2001) Emergent frameworks in global finance: Accounting standards and German supplementary pensions Economic Geography 77 (3): 250-271

Tickell A (2001) Prosperity and inequality Antipode 33 (1): 101-110

Tickell A (2001) Progress in the geography of services: services, the state and the rearticulation of capitalism Progress in Human Geography  25 (2): 283-292

Haughton G, Jones M, Peck J, Tickell A and While A (2000) Labour market policy as flexible welfare: Prototype employment zones and the new workfarism Regional Studies 34 (7): 669-680

Tickell A (2000) Global rhetorics, national politics: Pursuing bank mergers in Canada Antipode 32 (2): 152- 175

Tickell A (2000) Dangerous derivatives: controlling and creating risks in international money Geoforum 31 (1): 87-99

Tickell A (2000) Global rhetorics, national politics: pursuing bank mergers in Canada Antipode 32 152-75

Tickell A (2000) Unstable futures: creating risk in international finance Geoforum 31, 1, 87-99

Tickell A (1993) Capital: a critique of political economy. Area 25, 3, 285-286

Tickell A (1999) On getting inside the project Ethics, Place and Environment 2, 2, 234-239

Tickell A (1999) The geographies of services: new wine in old bottles Progress in Human Geography 23, 633-641

Tickell A (1998) 'Questions about globalization: a review essay' Geoforum 29, 1-5

Tickell A (1998) A tax on success? Privatisation, employment and windfall tax Area 30, 83-90

Tickell A (1998) Creative finance and the local state: the Hammersmith and Fulham swaps affair Political Geography 17,7, 865-881

Tickell A (1998) On critical geography and civil society Environment and Planning A 30,761-766

Tickell A (1997) Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring: Restructuring the financial system into the twentyfirst century Capital and Class 62, 13-19
* Reproduced in Beynon H and Nichols T (eds) Patterns of work in the post-fordist era (Elgar, 2006)

Dicken P, Yeung H and Tickell A (1997) Putting Japanese investment in Europe in its place' Area 29, 200-212

Tickell A (1996) Making a melodrama out of a crisis: reinterpreting the collapse of Barings Bank Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 14, 1, 5-33

Tickell A and Peck J A (1996) Neoliberalism and localism: a reply to Gough Area 28,398-404

Tickell A and Peck J A (1996) The return of the Manchester Men: Men's words and men's deeds in the remaking of the local state Transactions, Institute of British Geographers 21, 595-616

Cochrane A, Peck J A and Tickell A (1996) 'Manchester plays games: exploring the local politics of globalisation Urban Studies 33, 8, 1319-1336

Tickell A (1995) Reflections on 'Activism and the academy Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 13, 235-237

Peck J A and Tickell A (1995) 'Business goes local: dissecting the business agenda in Manchester'. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 19, 1,55-78

Peck J A and Tickell A (1995) The social regulation of uneven development: 'regulatory deficit', England's South East and the collapse of Thatcherism. Environment and Planning A 27,1, 15-40
* Recipient of the Anniversary Award for the most innovative article published in the journal in 1995
* Reproduced in Jessop, B (ed) Regulation theory and the crisis of capitalism Volume IV (Edward Elgar, 2001)

Tickell A and Peck J A (1995) Social regulation after-Fordism: Regulation theory, neoliberalism and the global-local nexus' Economy and Society 24,3,357-386
* Reproduced in Bryson J, Henry N, Keeble D and Martin R (ed) The economic geography reader (Wiley, 1999) 121-132

Leyshon A and Tickell A (1994) Money order? The discursive constitution of Bretton Woods and the making and breaking of regulatory space Environment and Planning A 26, 12, 1861-1890
* Reproduced in Leyshon A and Thrift NJ 1997) Money/ space (Routledge)

Tickell A (1994) Banking on Britain: the changing role and geography of Japanese banks Regional Studies 28, 3, 291-304

Peck J A and Tickell A (1994) Jungle law breaks out: neoliberalism and global-local disorder.' Area 26, 4, 317-326 

Tickell A and Dicken P (1993) The role of inward investment promotion in economic development strategies: the case of northern England. Local Economy 8, 3, 197-208

Tickell A and Peck (1994) Too many partners ... the future for regeneration partnerships Local Economy 9,3,251-265

Tickell A and Peck J A (1992) Accumulation, regulation and the geographies of post-Fordism: missing links in regulation theory. Progress in Human Geography, 16,2, 190-218. 
* Reproduced in Jessop, B (ed) Regulation theory and the crisis of capitalism, Volume I (Edward Elgar, 2001)

Dicken P and Tickell A (1992) Competitors or collaborators? The structure and relationships of inward investment in northern England. Regional Studies 26, 1,99-106.

Peck J A and Tickell A (1992) Local modes of social regulation? Regulation theory, Thatcherism and regional development. Geoforum 23,3,347-364.

Chapters in edited volumes

Tickell A and Peck J A (2008) in Leyshon et al A compendium of economic geography forthcoming

Musson, S., John, P. and Tickell, A. (2007) Campaigning and the media: the north east referendum of 2004 in The Northern Veto (Ed. Sandford, M.) Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 75-102

Musson, S., John, P. and Tickell, A. (2006) Government, governance and decentralisation in Territory, Identity and Space: Spatial Governance in a Fragmented Nation (Eds. Tewdwr-Jones, M. and Allmendinger, P.) Routledge, London

Tickell A (2006) ‘Global Financial Architecture Transitions: Mutations through ‘Roll-back’ Neoliberalism to Technocratic Fixes’ in Heynen N and Conway D Globalizations Dimensions:  Forces of Discipline, Destitution and Resistance? (Rowman and Littlefield)

Tickell A and Peck J A (2006) Conceptualizing neoliberalism, thinking Thatcherism in Leitner and Sheppard Contesting neoliberalism: urban frontiers (Minnesota University Press) 26-50

Musson S, Tickell A and John P (2005) ‘Government, Governance and Decentralisation’ in M Tewdwr-Jones and P Allmendinger Territory, Identity and Space: Spatial Governance in a Fragmented Nation final version accepted for publication

Tickell A (2005) 'Money and finance' in P Cloke, P Crang and M Goodwin (eds) Critical human geographies 2nd edition (London, Edward Arnold) Revised and updated version

Clark G L, Thrift N J and Tickell A (2005) ‘Performing finance: the industry, the media and its image’ in Barry A and D Slater (eds) The technological economy (London, Routledge) 168-184

Tickell A and Peck J (2003) 'Making global rules: globalisation or neoliberalisation' in Peck J and Yeung H (eds) Remaking the global economy (Sage, London) 163-182

Sheppard E, Barnes T, Peck J and Tickell A (2003) ‘Introduction: reading economic geography’ in Peck J, Barnes T, Sheppard E and Tickell A (eds) The economic geography reader (Oxford, Blackwell) 1-10 

Barnes T, Tickell A, Peck J and Sheppard E (2003) ‘Paradigms lost’ in Peck J, Barnes T, Sheppard E and Tickell A (eds) The economic geography reader (Oxford, Blackwell) 13-18

Tickell A, Peck J, Barnes T and Sheppard E (2003) ‘Problematising production’ in Peck J, Barnes T, Sheppard E and Tickell A (eds) The economic geography reader (Oxford, Blackwell) 91-96

Barnes T, Sheppard E, Peck J and Tickell A (2003) ‘Producing nature’ in Peck J, Barnes T, Sheppard E and Tickell A (eds) The economic geography reader (Oxford, Blackwell) 169-174

Peck J, Barnes T, Sheppard E and Tickell A (2003) ‘Bringing in the social’ in Peck J, Barnes T, Sheppard E and Tickell A (eds) The economic geography reader (Oxford, Blackwell) 251-256 

Sheppard E, Tickell A, Barnes T and Peck J (2003) ‘From distance to connectivity’ in Peck J, Barnes T, Sheppard E and Tickell A (eds) The economic geography reader (Oxford, Blackwell) 331-335

Cochrane A, Peck J and Tickell A (2002) 'Olympic dreams: visions of partnership' in City of revolution: restructuring Manchester (eds J A Peck and K G Ward) (Manchester, MUP) 

John, P, Musson, S and Tickell, A (2002): 'The South East Region?' In Tomaney, J and Mawson, J (Eds.): England. The state of the regions. Bristol: Policy Press 

Tickell A (2002) 'Cultures of money’ in Anderson K, Pile S and Thrift N (eds) The handbook of cultural geography (London, Sage)

Peck J and Tickell A (2002) Neoliberalising space in Brenner N and Theodore N (eds) Spaces of neoliberalism (Blackwell)

Tickell A (2001) ‘The transformation of financial regulation in the United Kingdom: the Barings case’ in Bovens M, ‘t Hart P and Peters B G (eds) Success and failure in public governance (Elgar) 419-452

Tickell A (2000) 'Local geographies of money' in Clark G L, Gertler M and? (eds) A handbook of economic geography (Oxford University Press)

Peck J A and Tickell A (2000) 'Labour markets' in Gardiner V and Matthews H (eds) The changing geography of the United Kingdom (Routledge)150-168

Tickell A and Peck J A (2000) Accumulation, regulation and the geographies of post-Fordism: missing links in regulation theory' in Jessop, B (ed) Regulation theory: a reader (Edward Elgar)  Reproduced from Progress in Human Geography 1992

Peck J A and Tickell A (2000) 'The social regulation of uneven development: 'regulatory deficit', England's South East and the collapse of Thatcherism.' in Jessop, B (ed) Regulation theory: a reader (Edward Elgar) Reproduced from Environment and Planning A 1995

Tickell A and Peck J A (2000) 'Social regulation after-Fordism: Regulation theory, neoliberalism and the global-local nexus' in Jessop, B (ed) Regulation theory: a reader (Edward Elgar)  Reproduced from Economy and Society 1995

Tickell A (1999) European financial integration and uneven development' in Hudson R and Williams A (eds) Divided Europe: society and territory (London, Sage) 63-78

Tickell A (1999) 'Unstable futures: controlling and creating risks in international money' In L Panitch and C Leys (eds) Global capitalism versus democracy: Socialist Register 1999 (Rendleshem, The Merlin Press) 248-277

Jessop B, Peck J A and Tickell A (1999) 'Retooling the machine: economic crisis, state restructuring and urban politics' in A E G Jonas and D Wilson (eds) The urban growth machine: critical perspectives twenty years later (New York: SUNY Press)  141-162

Tickell A (1999) 'Money and finance' in P Cloke, P Crang and M Goodwin (eds) Critical human geographies (London, Edward Arnold) 107-113

(1999) 'Rescripting urban regeneration, the Mancunian Way' in R Imrie and H Thomas (eds) Reshaping urban policy and the UDCs (London, Paul Chapman) (with I Deas, J Peck, K Ward and M Bradford) 206-232

Peck J A and Tickell A (1999) 'Restructuring labour markets' in V Gardner, R J Johnston and H Matthews (eds) The changing geography of the UK (London, Routledge) 

Tickell A and Peck J A (1999) 'Social regulation after fordism: regulation theory, neoliberalism and the global- local nexus' In J Bryson, N Henry, D Keeble and R Martin (eds) The economic geography reader: producing and consuming global capitalism (London, John Wiley) 121-132 Reproduced from Economy and Society 1995

Dicken P, Peck J A and Tickell A (1998) 'Review of globalisation' In Park S-O, Choo S-J and Hwang J-S (eds) (IN KOREAN)… (Seoul, Hanul Academy) 15-39 published in Korean

Leyshon A and Tickell A (1997) 'Money order? The discursive constitution of Bretton Woods and the making and breaking of regulatory space' in Leyshon, A and Thrift, N J Money/ space: geographies of monetary transformation (London: Routledge) 260-290

Dicken P, Peck J A and Tickell A (1997) 'Unpacking the global' In R Lee and J Wills (editors) Geographies of Economies (London: Edward Arnold) 158-166 

Tickell A (1996) 'Taking the initiative: the Leeds financial centre' in G Haughton and C Williams (editors) Corporate city? Partnership, participation and partition in urban development in Leeds. Aldershot: Avebury, 103-118

Tickell A, Peck J A and Dicken P (1995) The fragmented region: Business, the state and economic development in North West England' In M Rhodes (editor) The regions and the new Europe: patterns in core and periphery development. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 247- 272 

Peck J A and Tickell A (1994) Searching for a new institutional fix: the after-Fordist crisis and global-local disorder. In A Amin (editor) Post-Fordism: a reader. Blackwell: Oxford, 280-316 

Tickell A, Leigh C M and Stillwell J C H (1994) ‘The West Yorkshire economy: breaking with tradition'. In Haughton, G. and Whitney, D. (editors) Reinventing a region: policy and change in West Yorkshire region Avebury: Aldershot, 61-90