post industrial economy and rural areas

• Post-industrial economy


  One that replaces manufacturing with service industries (also known as tertiary industries)
• Quaternary industry


  • Developing in the twenty-first century UK
  • Also called the 'knowledge economy'
  • Involves research and development
  • Includes IT, new creative industries and biotechnology
• Estimates suggest 10-15% of the UK workforce is employed in quaternary sectors, though it is hard to determine because it overlaps with the service sector
• Information technology


  Has transformed lives in the UK and has encouraged economic growth
• Impact of information technology

  • 1.3 million people employed in IT
  • Homeworking and self-employment due to the internet
  • UK viewed as one of the top IT countries in the world
  • Investment in technology companies totalled £6.3bn during 2018
  • Technological developments have led to growth of specialist manufacturing services, service and research
  • Information can be accessed anywhere using mobile devices
  • Turnover of digital technology companies grew by 4.5% between 2016-2017, compared to 1.7% growth in UK GDP
• Technology investment


  • London-based technology businesses raised £9bn between 2015-2018
  • Cambridge picked up £583m of funding over the same period
• The UK represents a global centre of technology talent, accounting for 5 per cent of all high-growth technology workers employed globally. Only Germany, amongst the UK's European rivals, employs more people in the technology sector
• Service industries


  • Provide support rather than manufacturing products
  • Largest sector in the UK economy both in terms of people employed and economic output
• Financial services


  • Employ over 2 million people and account for 10% of the UK's GDP
  • UK is a leading financial centre, with London at its centre
  • Financial services are the most significant contributor to job creation in the service industry
• Research and development


  • Part of the rapidly expanding quaternary sector
  • Contributes over £3 billion to the UK economy
  • Employs over 60,000 educated people
  • Involves biomedical, computer and environmental sectors linked to UK universities
  • Conducted by UK government and private companies
• Science and business parks

  • Important aspect of developing the UK's post-industrial policy
  • Science parks typically located on edge of university cities
  • Have good transport links and attractive environments
  • Sometimes located close to or within university grounds
  • Graduates often employed to apply knowledge and experience to innovative businesses
  • Businesses often link closely to local universities and tap into their research and development
  • Over 100 science parks in the UK employ around 75,000 people
• Science parks


  • Cambridge Science Park
  • Oxford
  • Southampton
  • Newlands Science Park at Hull University
• Business parks


  • Areas with a small group of businesses in the same land area
  • Often located on edge of major urban areas with good communications and cheap land
  • Can contain range of businesses, from small-scale manufacturing to research and development
  • Businesses can benefit from supplying goods and services to each other
• Rural landscapes in the UK

  • Experiencing significant change
  • 19% of the population live in rural areas
  • Population in most rural areas is growing due to counter-urbanisation
  • Population of urban environments is growing more rapidly than in rural areas due to natural increase and immigration
• Greenbelt


  An area of green, open space where development is restricted
• Urban areas would have experienced much more significant growth

  If it was not for the protection of greenbelts
• There is increasing pressure on the UK government to allow development within greenbelts due to the housing shortage the country is facing
• Even rural areas furthest from urban areas are becoming popular with tourists and second homeowners
• House prices in rural areas have increased significantly due to the increased demand for housing
• The rising cost of properties in rural areas has made homes for local people unaffordable in some areas
• This has led to more people having to rent or move to another area where they are more likely to afford to buy a property
• Southeast England


  • Experiences the most significant pressure on rural areas in England
  • People with jobs in London want to live in a more attractive environment which brings a range of benefits and problems
• Benefits of population growth in rural areas

  • Increased demand for goods and services helps ensure the future of rural shops, schools and businesses
  • Provides balance to rural-urban migration, particularly as young people move away in search for better opportunities
  • New people are more likely to invest in new, local businesses
  • New developments in rural areas provide jobs
• Problems of population growth in rural areas

  • Rural areas can lose shops as commuters buy products in supermarkets in urban areas on their way home from work
  • The increase in 'outsiders' can change the social fabric and rural culture
  • Older people tend to move to rural areas, which raises the average age
  • House prices often increase rapidly due to wealthy newcomers, pushing out local people
  • Car owning commuters do not require public transport, so services may be reduced, affecting local people
  • Resentment may is felt towards new members of the rural community
  • Modern developments in rural areas cause tensions with the local community
  • The sale of agricultural land in rural areas can lead to unemployment in the local community
• The Outer Hebrides have experienced a 50 per cent decline in its population since 1901, mainly due to young people moving away
• Social impacts of population decline in the Outer Hebrides

  • School closures could result from fewer children
  • An ageing population, caused by the migration of young people, will require higher amounts of social care, which will have social and economic impacts
  • A further decline in the fishing and farming industry due to the ageing population
• Economic impacts of population decline in the Outer Hebrides

  • Maintaining transport services such as ferries and other services is very costly
  • There has been a significant decline in traditional fishing for lobsters and prawns
  • Tourism has become an essential source of income. However, the infrastructure is struggling to cope with this
  • Shellfish catches have increased, due to more foreign boats