The University of Sheffield
Department of Geography

Professor Harvey Armstrong

Harvey Armstrong

   
   
Telephone (UK): 07851 019004
Telephone (International): +44 7851 019004
Email: H.Armstrong@Sheffield.ac.uk

Harvey Armstrong undertook undergraduate education at Sheffield University and postgraduate education at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Subsequently he has been a lecturer at Loughborough University (Economics, 1970-1973) and a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University (Economics, 1973-1996). Between 1996 and 2009 he was Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Sheffield. He has also held visiting appointments at the University of British Columbia and the University of West Virginia Regional Research Institute. He is now Professor Emeritus at the University of Sheffield.

Research Interests

Regional policy and its evaluation. Regional and local economic disparities. The economic performance of small states and islands.

Current research

The common theme linking the various strands of my research is the application of economic principles and techniques to the analysis of spatial disparities.

Regional policy and its evaluation
I have undertaken many years of research on regional policy issues and the evaluation of regional policy. My textbook with Jim Taylor has long been the standard one in this field. Since 1997 I have, with colleagues, undertaken a number of projects concerned with the evaluation of regional policy. Two large scale evaluations of the Structural Funds programmes in Yorkshire & The Humber have been undertaken. These were European Commission and DETR funded. An ESRC grant has extended work on governance and appraisal, together with the evaluation of community development initiatives.

Very small states and island economies
Although superficially very different from regional economies, very small states and island economies share many of the characteristics of sub-national regions in that they are small, open economies in which policymakers have available only a limited range of policy options. This makes them amenable to the same economic analytical techniques as for regional economies. My work with Robert Read on sovereign micro states continues, and more recently I have worked on the economic performance of European island economies with Dimitris Ballas.

Key Publications
  • Armstrong, H.W., Camagni, R., Davondi, S. and Dabinett, G.E. (2010). European territorial Cohesion Policy 2007-2013. Scienze Regionali - Italian Journal of Regional Science, 9(1), 113-122.
  • Armstrong, H.W. and Wells, P. (2006). Structural funds and the evaluation of community economic development initiatives in the UK: A critical perspective. Regional Studies, 40(2), 259-272.
    doi:10.1080/00343400600600645
  • Armstrong, H.W. and Read, R. (2003). Microstates and Subnatural Regions: Mutual Industrial Policy Lessons. International Regional Science Review, 26(1), 117-141.
    doi:10.1177/0160017602238989
  • Armstrong, H.W. (1995). Convergence Among Regions of the European Union, 1950-1990. Papers in Regional Science, 74(2), 143-152.
    doi:10.1111/j.1435-5597.1995.tb00633.x
  • Armstrong, H.W., and Taylor, J. (2000). Regional Economics and Policy, 3rd edition, Blackwell, Oxford.
  • Armstrong, H.W., Fowler, A. and Mills, I. (1998). Thematic Evaluation of the 1994-1996 Yorkshire and the Humber Objective 2 Programme. In: European Commission, Proceedings of the Third European Conference on Evaluation Practices in the Field of Structural Policies, Seville, European Commission DGXVI (Regional Policies). 54-57.
    Archived PDF version

Other information

I have undertaken extensive consultancy and advisory work with international, national and European policymakers. I have acted as a Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Select Committee on regional policy and to the FCO on the development of Ascension Island. I have more recently been a member of the Welsh Assembly Government Economic Research Advisory Panel, and worked with the European Commission on the 2007-2013 Cohesion Policy strategic guidelines.

In addition to editorial experience with Regional Studies and as an editorial board member on various regional studies and science journals, I have also undertaken extensive external examining over many years, most recently with Strathclyde University, Loughborough University and the LSE.