This year’s Campaign for Social Science Annual Sage Lecture will be delivered by Professor Dame Diane Coyle FAcSS, Bennett Professor of Public Policy and Research Director, Bennett School of Public Policy, University of Cambridge.
Andy Burnham has set out an ambition for “growth in every postcode”. Professor Dame Diane Coyle, FAcSS, will discuss this challenge, exploring the practicalities of delivering economic growth across different places. Diane will talk about the kinds of policies, investment, institutions and local capabilities we would need to turn the ambition into reality, and how national, regional and local government might work together to deliver it. Also speaking will be Professor Monder Ram FAcSS, Professor of Small Business at Aston University and Founder-Director of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), and Professor Anna Valero, Professor in Practice at the LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance and Global School of Sustainability; Director of the CEP’s Growth Programme and Deputy Director of the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion. The event will be chaired by Professor Christina Boswell FAcSS, Professor of Politics at University of Edinburgh and Chair of the Campaign for Social Science.
Professor Dame Diane Coyle FAcSS, Bennett Professor of Public Policy and Research Director, Bennett School of Public Policy, University of Cambridge
Evening of 03 December, 18.00-20.30 at Sage Publishing
3rd floor, HYLO, 103-105 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8LZ
Spaces for this event are strictly limited so book early to secure your place and please arrive in good time on the day to ensure admittance. Due to the limited numbers please note that for this event it is also strictly one booking per person.
About the lecture
For two decades, the UK has experienced weaker trend productivity growth, alongside significant inequalities in income, wealth and opportunity between different places and communities. The inequalities are visible in depressed high streets, fraying infrastructure and inadequate services, with some places seemingly trapped in a spiral of decline.
Against this backdrop Andy Burnham has set out an ambition for “growth in every postcode”. But what would it really take to make this possible and how would we know if we had succeeded? In this year’s Campaign for Social Science Annual Sage Lecture, leading economist Professor Dame Diane Coyle FAcSS will discuss this challenge, exploring the practicalities of delivering economic growth across different places. Diane will talk about the kinds of policies, investment, institutions and local capabilities we would need to turn the ambition into reality, and how national, regional and local government might work together to deliver it. She will also look beyond GDP to consider how we might measure whether growth is really delivering for people and places. Drawing on her expertise in economics, public policy and the measurement of economic and social progress, Diane will examine the opportunities and challenges involved in pursuing a more geographically inclusive approach to growth.
Join us for an engaging exploration of one of the UK’s most important economic and policy challenges. This will be a timely and thought-provoking lecture on what “good growth” could mean in practice – and on the difficult question of how we know when growth is genuinely delivering.
Also speaking will be Professor Monder Ram FAcSS, Professor of Small Business at Aston University and Founder-Director of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), and Professor Anna Valero, Professor in Practice at the LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance and Global School of Sustainability; Director of the CEP’s Growth Programme and Deputy Director of the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion.
The event will be chaired by Professor Christina Boswell FAcSS, Professor of Politics at University of Edinburgh and Chair of the Campaign for Social Science.
Following the lecture there will be a networking reception providing an opportunity to further discuss the key themes over refreshments.
About the speakers
Diane Coyle is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. She is the Research Director at the Bennett School of Public Policy. Diane’s latest book is The Measure of Progress: Counting what really matters. Her own research focuses on productivity, the digital economy and AI policy, and economic measurement. She has been writing about the effects of digital technologies since her first book, The Weightless World, in 1997. The underlying motivation for all her work is the question: what does it mean for the economy to improve, and who benefits? Diane is currently a member of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Council and advises the Competition and Markets Authority. She has served previously in several public service roles including as Vice Chair of the BBC Trust, member of the Competition Commission, on the Natural Capital Committee, and on the New Towns Taskforce. Diane was awarded a DBE in 2023 for her contribution to economics and public policy.
Monder Ram is Professor of Small Business at Aston University and Founder-Director of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME). For more than thirty years his work has shaped research, policy and practice on ethnic minority and migrant entrepreneurship. He is known for building durable links between universities, policymakers, businesses and communities, and for turning research into practical change. His work has helped build and shape initiative including Miniorty Supplier Development UK, Productivity from Below, and Time to Change: A Blueprint for Advancing the UK’s Ethnic Minority Businesses. A two-time winner of the ESRC Outstanding Business and Enterprise Impact Prize (2017 and 2021), he advises national bodies on enterprise, inclusion and business support.
Anna Valero is Professor in Practice at the LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance and Global School of Sustainability; Director of the CEP’s Growth Programme and Deputy Director of the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion. Her research focuses on the drivers of productivity and innovation in firms and regions, and in particular on informing policies for environmentally sustainable and inclusive growth. Anna was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2024-25, and Industrial Strategy Adviser in 2025-26. She has held a number of other advisory roles for the UK government and policy institutions.
About the Chair
Christina Boswell is Professor of Politics at University of Edinburgh, and she is the Chair of the Campaign for Social Science. Christina has held different research and innovation leadership roles at University of Edinburgh. Between August 2022 – October 2025, she served as Vice Principal for Research and Enterprise for the University. Prior to that, she was Dean of Research for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (2017-22). Christina is an experienced research leader, whose academic career has focused on advancing the role of research in policy. This includes over two decades of research on how science and expert knowledge influence policymaking, especially in the area of immigration. She has held numerous advisory roles for governments and international organisations on this topic, with current roles including Advisor to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology on global research talent, and as a member of the Home Office Scientific Advisory Council.