Enabling Regional Growth: Institutional and Fiscal Lessons from England and Japan

Event summary

Join us for the launch of a landmark comparative study exploring how Birmingham and Osaka – two second cities on opposite sides of the world – are tackling regional growth through devolution and collaboration. This timely event will offer fresh, globally informed insights for policymakers navigating the UK and Japan’s evolving regional agenda, with expert commentary and international perspectives that resonate with today’s urgent policy challenges.

Date

26 June 2025
Starts: 11:00
Ends: 12:30

Location

3 Centenary Square
Birmingham
B1 2DR
[See map]Mary Sturge/ Dhani Prem room at The Exchange

Standard price

£0.00 excl VAT

Network Member Price

Book now

About this event

This event marks the launch of a new CIPFA and City-REDI report comparing regional governance and growth strategies in the West Midlands and Osaka Prefecture. Featuring speakers from both the UK and Japan, the session will explore institutional frameworks, funding mechanisms and how mutual learning can support more effective devolution. The discussion builds on CIPFA’s broader work on addressing regional inequalities and will be of interest to anyone shaping subnational policy or financing. Join us to engage with international practice, timely research and practical takeaways for UK regional policy.

Who should attend?

UK and international policymakers involved in regional development, devolution, and decentralisation
Local and regional government officials seeking practical insights on governance and funding
Public finance professionals working on subnational fiscal frameworks and investment strategies
Researchers and academics in urban studies, public administration, or comparative governance
Civil servants and advisors involved in implementing the UK Devolution White Paper
Practitioners in economic development agencies and regional partnerships
Think tanks, NGOs and international organisations focused on inclusive growth and policy innovation
Anyone interested in cross-border policy learning and the future of second cities

How will you benefit from attending?

Hear directly from UK and Japanese experts on devolution, finance and regional development
Discover practical lessons for implementing and shaping regional policy in non-capital areas
Understand how structured international knowledge exchange can inform local policy innovation
Explore implications of the English Devolution White Paper through a global lens
Engage in discussion with fellow policymakers, practitioners and academics
Receive exclusive insights into what makes flexible, functional regional groupings work
Strengthen professional networks across public finance, local government, and international policy sectors

CPD hours

This course carries one CPD hours.

Topics

Accounting
/ Audit
/ Business rates
/ Capital finance
/ Central government
/ Efficiency
/ Financial management
/ Financial reporting
/ Governance
/ Internal audit
/ Leadership
/ Local government
/ Performance improvement and policy
/ Professional development
/ Revenues and benefits
/ Risk management
/ Value for money

Speaker - Dr Abigail Taylor, Research Fellow, City-REDI, University of Birmingham

Abigail is passionate about leading and contributing to research and evaluation policy analysis that informs and influences regional and national growth policies. Her primary research interests are place-based approaches to regional and local labour markets, skills, funding, institutions and governance structures, and employment support policy. Abigail’s research often involves a cross-national focus.

Abigail previously completed an 18-month 50% secondment to the Industrial Strategy Council during which she worked on various projects including analysing international examples of regions which have successfully levelled up, and the process behind the development of Local Industrial Strategies.

Speaker - Jeffrey Matsu, Chief Economist, CIPFA

Jeffrey Matsu is Chief Economist at CIPFA and a Fellow of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. With extensive experience in connecting policy with practice through evidence-based research, he works with partner governments, accountancy bodies and the public sector around the world to advance public finance and support better public services.

Previously, Jeff was responsible for market analysis and thought leadership at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and co-led the economy theme at the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE). He was also a senior economist at Morgan Stanley and served on the research staff at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington DC. He holds degrees in economics from the University of Washington and Johns Hopkins University.

Speaker - Dr Toshihiko Ishihara, President, CIPFA Japan

Toshihiko is also a Professor of Public Governance, Health Care Management, University Management and Accounting at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan. He belongs to the graduate school, teaches MBA students, and supervises Ph.D. students. In his PhD laboratory, there are about 30 academic professors, doctors and Ph.D. students, making it one of the largest lab of social science in Japan.