Event

Learning Across Borders: Devolution and Funding Mechanisms in Osaka and the West Midlands

This event hosted by UK think tank City-Redi will discuss how city-regions can push for longer-term investment and more effective devolution at a sustainable pace. 

This event will discuss how city-regions can push for longer-term investment and more effective devolution that is at a sustainable pace. As an advanced economy, Japan represents a pertinent comparator for the UK. Japan is interesting from a governance perspective because discussion about promoting strong cities outside of the capital is noticeably more advanced than in the UK. In recent decades, there has also been an important drive to push more power to the local level. Local government in Japan benefits from more power and freedom to act how it chooses than its counterparts in the UK. Central government in Japan also redistributes income between rich and poor locations.

Join CIPFA and City-REDI to discuss findings from recent and ongoing research exploring devolution structures and finance mechanisms in Osaka, Japan, and the West Midlands metropolitan area. Key questions the event will explore include:

• How can the West Midlands and Osaka learn from each other’s experiences of pursuing devolution pathways (and how might this help other regions)?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of financial mechanisms in place to support economic development? What are the opportunities and how might they best be exploited?
• What frameworks are in place to monitor progress and ensure the delivery of stated goals?

Many thanks to the generous support of the Daiwa Foundation, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Japan Foundation Endowment Committee.

Format: Chaired by Jeffrey Matsu (Chief Economist, CIPFA), the event will feature a panel discussion and Q&A with:

Michael Amery – West Midlands Combined Authority

Ben Odams – Head of Policy, West Midlands Growth Company

Naoki Fujiwara – Vice Dean, Professor at the faculty of Regional Development Studies, Otemon Gakuin University, and former Osaka City Government Officer

Hiroaki Inatsugu – Professor in the School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, and former Osaka City Government Officer.

Abigail Taylor – City-REDI, University of Birmingham

A networking lunch will be provided afterwards.