British cities are becoming more culturally diverse, with migration a main driver. Is this growing diversity good for … urban economies? This paper explores, using a new 16-year panel of UK cities. Over time, net migration affects both local …, suggest both processes are operating in British cities. Long-term industrial decline and casualisation of entry-level jobs …

Richard Florida’s ‘creative class’ theory suggests that diverse, tolerant, ‘cool’ cities will outperform others. Ethnic … cities get the best jobs and most dynamic companies. This paper examines Florida’s ideas, focusing on the evidence in British … cities. Drawing on previously published work, it first tests the Florida model on a set of British cities, finding weak …