All RDAs across England are closing by March 2012
(see transition and closure section).
With our resources reducing steadily, this page has not been recently updated and the information below may not be current.
If in doubt, please contact us directly.
Why we invest
The South West economy works well but it can always do better -
both in absolute and relative terms. Certain market and
institutional ‘failures’ exist which prevent the region being as
successful as it might be. These ‘failures’ can relate to
information, to connectivity and to engagement in ways that limit
the aspiration and achievement of people across the region.
In what will remain a highly integrated UK and world economy,
the RDA invests to minimise these failures by spreading ‘best
practice’ and boosting capacity throughout the region. With the
right interventions, fostering regional co-operation in order to
raise the game of our sectors and places; our businesses and
workers, we can all be more competitive.
So, the RDA invests in the region mainly to develop those parts
of the economy that are less productive than they could be.
Productivity is important because it is the only
sustainable route to jobs and prosperity over time. In turn,
productivity is driven by the capital stock in our economy - be
that in the form of buildings, roads and communications, plant and
machinery and, indeed, the people in our workforce.
This gives the region access to growing markets but we also
needgood ideas, dynamic aspiration and a skilled workforce.
Hence, skills, innovation and enterprise are prime components of
the mix. Put all these ingredients together and you have an
economy in which our workers and our businesses are competitive in
local, regional, national and international markets.