The role of civic leadership in fostering economic resilience in City Regions

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the role of civic leadership in fostering economic resilience in City Regions. Extant research on resilience has examined ‘economic’ factors. This paper adds to the academic discourse by considering how effective leadership shapes economic development within sub-national economies. Through a case study of the Sheffield City Region (SCR), UK, the paper considers the role of civic leadership in enabling Local Enterprise Partnerships to work collaboratively to foster resilience. The paper finds that while civic leadership is emergent in the SCR, it holds potential to foster economic resilience by bringing together the public, private and third sectors to develop locally informed strategies. The paper concludes with implications for governance issues in City Regions and how the challenges and impacts of civic leadership may be assessed over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Civic leadership
• resilience
• City Regions
• governance

Notes on contributors

Dr Chay Brooks is a Lecturer in International Entrepreneurship at Sheffield University Management School. His research examines entrepreneurship and economic development, alongside work exploring the business and geographies of international philanthropy.

Dr Nick Williams is an Associate Professor at Leeds Business School, University of Leeds. His research focuses on entrepreneurship and economic development, with interests in governance, institutions and place.

Tim Vorley is Professor of Entrepreneurship at Sheffield University Management School. His research interests are in entrepreneurship, local economic development and public policy.