Service Overview
Smart Growth Analytics is a professional economic research consultancy specialising in the provision of intelligence to inform evidence-based sustainable economic development, planning and associated decision-making. Our work seeks to ensure that our clients achieve the highest possible levels of business and economic growth, with least possible inputs of resources, and highest social and environmental returns. We do this through the development and application of evidence-based knowledge and intelligence.
Over 10 years ago, Smart Growth was the first research consultancy in the UK to spot the national and inter-related trends that were occurring in the growth of Creative & Knowledge-Based Industries, the ‘professionalisation’ of the workforce, and the rapid growth of homeworking and coworking. Smart Growth have undertaken highly detailed and complex analyses of these trends for the past decade, creatively developing and maintaining datasets and analytical techniques to define these at a granular local level.
We continuously innovate our knowledge-base to ensure we provide the most contemporary and relevant information and intelligence on all issues surrounding local area business and employment growth, and the practical implications of these trends for sustainable local economic development and planning.
Sustainable economic development through forensic analysis of evidence.
Our Approach
Smart Growth is an economic research consultancy which informs sustainable economic development decision-making. We enable our clients to achieve higher levels of economic growth and competitiveness with minimal negative social and environmental impacts (and maximum positive social and environmental impacts). Our expertise bridges the gap between sound economic principles and the real world, making sense of complicated issues through forensic analysis and modelling of economic data and information, often through the development and application of analytical frameworks and economic models.
Application of our Expertise
Jim has 27 years of experience as an economic analyst, working to the highest levels for public and private sector clients across the UK. This includes national, regional and local governmental departments and global corporations. His experience covers every aspect of economic activity and competitiveness (business and innovation, people and skills, hard and soft infrastructures). He has an excellent understanding of the increasingly important relationships which exist between economic development and social and environmental support and development (i.e., sustainable development). His work has covered the widest variety of sectors / issues including Defence, Biotechnology, Information & communication, Professional business services, Agriculture, Creative, Co-working, Homeworking, Floating off-shore wind (FLOW), Construction, Crisis recovery, Lithium recovery, Retrofit.
Jim has extensive knowledge of the sources of secondary data and other information covering all aspects of sustainable economic development. He is a highly experienced primary research survey practitioner, having project managed and delivered surveys covering all aspects of business and enterprise. His vast practical experience is consolidated by a sound academic background in economics and expertise in the use of specialist software tools (for such activities as survey work, SPSS professional statistical analysis, mapping and modelling).