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Evidence, Policy, and the Politics of Regional Development: The Case of High-Speed Rail in the United Kingdom

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  • John Tomaney

    (Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, Wates House, Gordon Street, London WC1H 0QB, England)

  • Pedro Marques

    (Economic Geography Working Group, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9/Room 9, 24098 Kiel, Germany)

Abstract

Geographers have often reflected on the impact of their research on policy making. Contributions usually focus on the (ir)relevance of research topics or on the pressures to ‘publish or perish’ that discourage academics from engaging with applied work. In this paper we will focus instead on the difficulty in engaging with the political process, even when the evidence appears robust and if policy implications are relatively clear. We use the example of high-speed rail and its impacts on territorial inequalities to reflect on the decision-making process in the UK, where the government is currently considering building a new high-speed line. We argue that, despite fairly strong evidence suggesting that high-speed rail is likely to deepen inequalities between the regions in the UK, currently this project is still being hailed as a strategy to spread economic activity and ‘rebalance’ the British economy. We identify some of the reasons for this perverse outcome.

Suggested Citation

  • John Tomaney & Pedro Marques, 2013. "Evidence, Policy, and the Politics of Regional Development: The Case of High-Speed Rail in the United Kingdom," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 31(3), pages 414-427, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:31:y:2013:i:3:p:414-427
    DOI: 10.1068/c11249r
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Zhenhua & Haynes, Kingsley E., 2017. "Impact of high-speed rail on regional economic disparity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 80-91.
    2. Peter Tangney & Michael Howes, 2016. "The politics of evidence-based policy: A comparative analysis of climate adaptation in Australia and the UK," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 34(6), pages 1115-1134, September.
    3. Cohen-Blankshtain, Galit, 2021. "On another track: Differing views of experts and politicians on rail investments in peripheral localities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    4. Neil Lee, 2017. "Powerhouse of cards? Understanding the ‘Northern Powerhouse’," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(3), pages 478-489, March.
    5. Elvira Uyarra & Kieron Flanagan & Edurne Magro & James R Wilson & Markku Sotarauta, 2017. "Understanding regional innovation policy dynamics: Actors, agency and learning," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(4), pages 559-568, June.
    6. Wu, Rong & Li, Yingcheng & Wang, Shaojian, 2022. "Will the construction of high-speed rail accelerate urban land expansion? Evidences from Chinese cities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    7. Federico Cavallaro & Francesco Bruzzone & Silvio Nocera, 2023. "Effects of high-speed rail on regional accessibility," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 1685-1721, October.
    8. Cavallaro, Federico & Bruzzone, Francesco & Nocera, Silvio, 2020. "Spatial and social equity implications for High-Speed Railway lines in Northern Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 327-340.
    9. Yiming Wang & Michelle Baddeley, 2016. "The problem of land value betterment: a simplified agent-based test," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 57(2), pages 413-436, November.
    10. Bruzzone, Francesco & Cavallaro, Federico & Nocera, Silvio, 2023. "The effects of high-speed rail on accessibility and equity: Evidence from the Turin-Lyon case-study," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

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