Universities must address regional inequalities with humility and collaboration | Times Higher Education (THE)

Working with actors in “left-behind” communities and recognising expertise beyond their walls will help close knowledge gaps on economic divisions, say Siobhan Morris, coordinator of UCL’s Grand Challenge of Justice & Equality and author of Structurally Unsound, Olivia Stevenson, Head of Public Policy at UCL and John Tomaney, The Bartlett School of Planning.

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The political salience of regional inequalities has risen rapidly in the context of the UK’s December general election, the overall outcome of which rested decisively on the political realignment of voters in so-called “left-behind” places.

While divisions have become more prominent in recent years, concentrated and multiple forms of deprivation have accumulated over decades – even generations. Improving conditions in these areas requires finely tuned and well-evidenced policy approaches – with universities playing a key role...

To ensure place-specific inequalities are tackled (as well as the emerging social and political divisions across the UK), universities – particularly those within the “golden triangle” of London, Cambridge and Oxford – need to play a key role in addressing gaps in knowledge regarding the nature of inequalities, which are complex, multifaceted and often stubbornly entrenched in social structures. We need a richer understanding of the intersecting nature and multiplicity of inequalities and the trajectories of disadvantaged places, as well as the needs and aspirations, challenges and opportunities in particular disadvantaged areas. 
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Source: Times Higher Education (THE)