Show Notes
In this episode of Productivity Puzzles, we examine the productivity performance of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. How do the three devolved nations perform on productivity? What are the differences and the similarities between them? How do they compare to England?
The discussion features insights from Melanie Jones, John Turner, and Graeme Roy. Together, they discuss the economic indicators influencing productivity in the devolved nations and explore how regional and national policies can drive productivity growth. Highlighting the role of education, health, and business innovation, the conversation provides an in-depth analysis of the systemic challenges and potential solutions for improving productivity in each of the devolved nations.
Host Professor Bart van Ark is joined by:
Graeme Roy, Professor of Economics, Adam Smith Business School; Assistant Vice Principal, University of Glasgow. John Turner, Professor of Finance and Financial History, Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast. Melanie Jones, Professor of Economics, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University
For more information on the topic:
Bart van Ark, Jim Pendrill, Kate Penney, James Wilson, Raquel Ortega-Argilés (2025) Regional Productivity Agenda, The Productivity Institute. Daniel Williams, John Tsoukalas, Bridgette Wessels, Pawel Gaska (2025) Scotland’s Productivity Challenge: Exploring the issues – 2025. Productivity Insights Paper No. 045, The Productivity Institute. Melanie Jones (2025) Wales’ Productivity Challenge: A Focus on the Future. Productivity Insights Paper No. 051, The Productivity Institute. Ruth Donaldson, David Jordan and John Turner (2025) NI Productivity 2040: Addressing Northern Ireland’s productivity gap for greater prosperity, Productivity Insights Paper No. 049, The Productivity Institute. Ruth Donaldson, David Jordan and John Turner (2024) Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2024, The Productivity Institute. Productivity Puzzles podcast (2022) The Wales Productivity Challenge, The Productivity Institute. Productivity Puzzles podcast (2021) Productivity in Northern Ireland, The Productivity Institute. Spotlight podcast (2022) Productivity and workplace dialogue, University of Glasgow. Fatima Garcia Elena, Reitze Gouma, Olga Menukhin, Raquel Ortega-Argilés, William Sarsfield and Ruby Watson (2024), TPI UK ITL1 Scorecards, TPI Productivity Lab, The Productivity Institute. Fatima Garcia Elena, Reitze Gouma, Olga Menukhin, Raquel Ortega-Argilés, William Sarsfield and Ruby Watson (2024), TPI UK ITL3 Scorecards, TPI Productivity Lab, The Productivity Institute.
About Productivity Puzzles:
Productivity Puzzles is brought to you by The Productivity Institute, a research body involving nine academic institutions across the UK, eight Regional Productivity Forums throughout the nation, and a national independent Productivity Commission to advise policy makers at all levels of government. It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
More from Productivity Puzzles
Is the UK’s recent productivity recovery a sign of lasting improvement? How could AI, technology adoption and shifting global economic conditions shape the country’s future productivity?
Generative AI has moved from curiosity to everyday tool with remarkable speed. But the big productivity question is not simply whether people are using it; it is whether firms, sectors and economies can turn that use into lasting productivity gains.
Why do firms invest when they do and not necessarily when they should? Are firms too cautious to invest? Or just realistic about uncertainty? Is the real investment gap about money or about mindset?
If one in five working‑age people are inactive, what does that say about the UK’s productivity problem? Why does ill health push so many people out of work in the UK, but not in peer countries?
If universities are engines of growth, why isn’t productivity accelerating? What’s the point of educating graduates if regions can’t keep or use them?