The research project, From the centre to the periphery: Reducing spatial divides through area-based education initiatives, aims to develop policy solutions to close gaps in the education and skills bases of local economies for regional economic growth and innovation.

Awarded £1.5million from the UK Research and Innovation Economic and Social Research Council (UKRI-ESRC), the researchers are studying the impact of area-based education initiatives using the case of the Opportunity Areas programme, which was launched in 2016 by the UK’s Department of Education.

This is the first major quasi-experimental evaluation of the programme, and involves large-scale quantitative analyses with in-depth research across 24 areas of the UK that suffer low rates of social mobility. The researchers will develop recommendations for future policymaking to tackle regional social and economic divides.

The project is led by the University of Bath, with Professor Michael Donnelly (Department of Education) acting as Principal Investigator, with input from colleagues at the University of Bristol and Durham University. Professor Nick Pearce (Director of the Institute for Policy Research) and Professor Matt Dickson (Professor of Economic and Social Policy at the IPR) act as Co-Investigators.

At the launch event, the project team will introduce the research, discuss the Opportunity Areas programme, and gather feedback from stakeholders. Professor Pearce and Professor Dickson are among the speakers for the event, alongside other members of the research team, representatives from the Department of Education, and Derby’s Opportunity Area Board.

Professor Donnelly says: "The UK has one of the highest rates of regional economic inequality of any post-industrial country in the world. These spatial divisions represent a long-standing public policy challenge that successive governments have repeatedly tried to tackle, most recently through the ‘levelling up’ agenda. Our exciting new study will shed light on the role of education for driving regional economic growth, helping to develop solutions that policymakers can use in future policy development."