David is Professor of Business Economics at the Birmingham Business School, UK and Senior Fellow at the ESRC’s UK in a Changing Europe programme, exploring the impacts of Brexit on UK automotive and manufacturing. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Regional Studies Association’s flagship journal Regional Studies (having been Deputy Editor-in-Chief 2013-18), and is Chair of the Regional Studies Association Europe Foundation (a think tank and policy forum based in Brussels). David was Chair of the RSA itself twice over 2006-12.
David’s research interests cover various dimensions of business economics: industrial policy; industry 4.0 and manufacturing; and regional economic development policy. He has a particular interest in the automotive industry, including the take up of electric vehicles and the transformation of the industry.
David comments for a wide range of media such as the BBC, Sky News, FT, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Reuters, etc. and is a sought-after media commentator on business and the economy.
He has been involved in several major research projects. These include the H2020 funded Marie-Curie RISE Network ‘MAKERS’, and on an Australian Research Council project on dealing with the closure of the Australia auto industry.
Other work has included the ESRC project (on which he was PI) on the Economic and social impact of the MG Rover collapse which attracted considerable media interest, and was rated by the ESRC as ‘outstanding’. It featured in the ESRC and Academy of Social Sciences report ‘Making the Case for Social Sciences’.
Other funding has come from the Audit Commission, European Commission INTERREG funding, governments and international agencies, and the European Commission FP7 project ‘Welfare, Wealth and Work for Europe’ of which he was one of five area coordinators (Area 3: Innovation, Innovation Policy and Industrial Policy).
David has experience of teaching on a wide range of modules at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive levels in business economics, international businesses and the political economy of the EU.
David is frequently interviewed by local, national and international media to discuss issues related to his research.
Recent major ‘impact’ is also seen in his work on transitions to Industry 4.0, to highlight the need to reform takeover rules, and the need for a regional scale to industrial policy in the UK.
He is a frequent after-lunch and after-dinner speaker at high level business and policy events, debates and media events around the West Midlands and in London.
David has also acted as Specialist Advisor, e.g. to a House of Commons Select Committee, and as an external expert for the European Commission, World Bank and OECD, and often gives evidence to public inquiries and consultations.