Published on a regular basis, the policy briefings disseminate research that can help to develop a strong post-pandemic recovery in Liverpool City Region, encourage debate about alternative approaches to economic development, public service delivery and innovation, and develop closer links between researchers and the policy community. The briefings are produced in collaboration with partners in Liverpool City Region and we welcome contributions from academics, researchers, the community and voluntary sector, local and city-regional government, and representatives from business and industry.

Our first series of policy briefings began in April 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which presented Liverpool City Region with arguably its greatest public policy challenge in decades. Drawing on expertise from within the University of Liverpool, across the city-region and beyond, the series facilitated the rapid exchange of knowledge and ideas between researchers, policymakers and practitioners across a wide range of policy areas. As society reopens and seeks to adapt to a new post-pandemic reality, the question of how the city region will recover from the health impacts of the pandemic as well as its economic and social aftershocks will dominate local and regional policy and will continue to do so over the coming years.

As economies adapt, there remain uncertainties about how communities will be affected in the longer term by the challenges ushered in by the pandemic, as well as questions about how prosperity and resilience can be rebuilt. This is the context for our second series of policy briefings. Focused on the themes of renewal and recovery, the series will contribute to creative and innovative thinking about how cities and city regions can recover from the impacts of COVID-19; promote research on the major issues facing society and the economy over the coming years; and illustrate how this research can be applied through policy.