Uneven development, competitiveness and behavioural economic geography: Addressing ‘Levelling Up’ policies from a human perspective.

This paper draws on behavioural economic geography to identify the factors affecting uneven development. It uses the lens of economic competitiveness and focuses on the association between differences in human behavioural traits and competitiveness in the context of localities across the UK. It focuses on the policy requirement for ‘levelling up’ by improving the performance of lagging localities. Based on the finding that local behavioural factors impact on competitiveness, the paper develops a behavioural public policy agenda. It is concluded that a greater appreciation of the human behavioural profile of a place can provide a vital cog in stimulating economic development through a more holistic approach to public policy