Postgraduate News and Views: Courses in regional development.

With moves to establish a regional assembly in the north-east gaining momentum, now seems an opportune moment for the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (Curds) at the University of Newcastle to launch an MA, diploma and certificate in regional development. The programme director, Dr Andy Pike, agrees: "Given the White Paper on elected regional assemblies in England, and the likelihood that the North-east will be the first region to proceed to a referendum – legislation permitting – the need to build capacity and raise awareness about the issues has become paramount."

But these are issues that are affecting the whole country, with regional development and devolution causing seismic shifts in administration and government at national, regional and local levels. Tackling debates around such concepts as the knowledge economy and learning regions, globalisation, competitiveness, inclusion and sustainability, students will be able to consider just what these mean for their particular organisations.

"Many of the recent developments in the UK have arisen from development at the European level, and one issue we look at, for instance, is why many prosperous regions in Europe have strong and transparent regional government," says Pike. "Are they prosperous because of good government, or do they have effective government because they are prosperous? The programme is about getting to grips with this sort of issue."

Questions like these are generating new challenges and a demand for analysis, strategy and policy-making for regional development for both individuals and institutions in the public, private and voluntary and community sectors, he believes. "They all have to grapple with the changing nature of government structure, which is now much more multi-layered."

Validated by the Institution of Economic Development, the programme includes modules on regional development theory and policy; regional governance; the regional information society and the e-economy; methodology, analysis and statistics; universities and regional development; the European context; labour markets; and skills and training. Pauline Beaumont, the regional development officer at Northern Arts, is one of 14 students to embark on the course this autumn. She believes that it will help directly in her work. "I'm championing the arts in local authorities, and local authorities in the arts, and the landscape is changing massively, with decision-making increasingly being made at regional level. I think that familiarity with that changing regional landscape is a prerequisite to having an active role in shaping it."

The course is giving her, she says, an invaluable understanding of how regional and national players think and act as they do.

emma@haughton.net