Sustainable Growth, Management and Economic Productivity (SMP)

Researching economic development, business support, and the sustainability of economic policies and interventions.

The Sustainable Growth, Management, and Economic Productivity Pathway engages with several major areas of research that cut across many levels of society. These areas of interest include productivity and sustainable economic growth at multi-level scales, from firm, to sectoral, to regional, national and global levels; wages, finance, financialisation, skills and welfare; macro-level economics and other levels of micro-analysis to capture complex systems of management, regulation, and governance, including ethics, marketing, work and employment relations, accounting and finance, and public services; economic development, business support, and the sustainability of economic policies and interventions; sustainability of production and consumption practices and alternative models of business. Debates about the future of work and the role of consumption in society are central to the Pathway’s interrogation of how we live now and sustainability acts as a fundamental link across the broad Pathway themes. Members of the Pathway team come from a range of academic disciplines including business, management, economics, geography, environment, marketing, and finance.

The Pathway draws on this range of disciplines to offer interdisciplinary training in topics such as work, employment, productivity and the impact of new technology; sustainable urban, rural and regional development; research in finance; and historical methods in social research.

In addition, the Pathway offers skills and development training through events such as regular writing days, how to publish, making research relevant to policy, applying for grants, and career development sessions, all related to SMP research. The Pathway also provides opportunities for members to present their own research at the White Rose Annual Conference.

Pathway Governance Team

Simon Mollan

Pathway Director, University of York

Professor Bruce Hearn

Deputy Director, University of Bradford

Professor Andy Jonas

Deputy Director, University of Hull

Dr Rebecca Pieniazek

Deputy Director, University of Leeds

Dr Martina McGuinness

Dr Martina McGuinness

Deputy Director, University of Sheffield

Professor Lewis Holloway

Deputy Director, University of Hull