Nicholas Sweeney
Institutions · Innovation · Inequalities
Bio
Hello, welcome to my personal website. I am the Sir Terry Leahy Fellow of Urban and Regional Economics at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester.
My research examines the multi-dimensional drivers and effects of spatial inequality, and the role of place-based policy in ameliorating disparities both between and within regions. Underpinning my research is the use of contemporary data availability improvements to refine theoretical and empirical understanding of longstanding debates on economic, political and social matters.
The why of my holistic research comes from growing up in Liverpool, a region that has experienced significant economic decline and now evidences some of the lowest incomes, political engagement and health outcomes in England – the most spatially unequal developed country. The belief that evidence-based research can help to improve livelihoods across the world motivates my work.
Research interests
- Institutions, decentralisation, and multi-level governance
- Innovation (geography of agglomerations and networks)
- Spatial inequalities (economic, social, political, mobility)
Research methods
- Causal inference in applied microeconometrics
- Spatial analysis using big geospatial data
- Reproducible research in R and Python
Educational history
I joined the University of Manchester in 2025 from the University of Cambridge, after submitting my PhD—comprising three solo-authored papers—in under three years. Entitled Devolution and Space in England: Empirical Essays on Economic Growth, Democratic Engagement and Health, all three papers were subsequently published in leading journals (Urban Studies, Political Geography, and Social Science & Medicine, respectively).
I also completed my Master’s and undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge. I gained a Distinction in my Master’s degree and received the highest overall marks in my undergraduate cohort, as well as the award for best final-year dissertation.