Philip McCann holds the University of Groningen Endowed Chair of Economic Geography at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and is also the Tagliaferri Visiting Fellow in the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge, UK.

1 The UK Regional (and National) Economic Problem 2 The Economic Performance of UK Regions 3 Debates Regarding the Economic Role of Cities: The UK Experience in the Light of International Comparisons 4 The UK's International Economic Engagement and the London 'Global City' Argument 5 The UK Interregional Economic System: Structures, Linkages and Spillovers 6 The Sub-National Economic Policy Agenda: Governance Devolution and Interregional Connectivity 7 Issues and Considerations Arising from the Sub-National Economic Policy Agenda 8 Postscript

The highly centralised, top down governance structure that the UK deploys is less than ideally placed to rectify the widespread inequalities that characterise its regions. In a landmark analysis of the current state of Britain's regional development, Philip McCann utilises current statistics, examines historical trends and makes pertinent international comparisons to assess the state of the nation.