Economic Change in the UK Flashcards
All 33 cards in this deck
What is de-industrialisation?
The decline of a country's traditional manufacturing (secondary) industry, with loss of factories and jobs.
Give two reasons why traditional UK manufacturing industries declined.
Cheaper labour costs abroad meant UK firms could not compete; machines and robots reduced the need for workers.
How has globalisation caused economic change in the UK?
Cheaper, easier global communication and container shipping let firms keep HQs in the UK but manufacture abroad, so UK manufacturing declined and the quaternary sector expanded.
Which government policy sold off state-run industries, causing job losses as companies were made more competitive?
Privatisation.
True or false? Being inland, far from large ports, added to the costs of some traditional UK industrial areas and helped cause their decline.
True. Inland areas such as Sheffield faced higher transport costs for raw materials, making them uncompetitive.
What is a post-industrial economy?
An economy where manufacturing has declined and most employment is in services (tertiary) and knowledge-based (quaternary) industry.
What is the quaternary sector?
Industry based on knowledge, research and development, e.g. IT, science and biotechnology research.
What is a science park?
A group of scientific and technical knowledge-based businesses, often on a single site linked to a university.
Give three features of a good location for a science park.
Near motorway junctions or main roads, close to a university and housing, and space to expand on the edge of a city in a pleasant environment.
True or false? A business park is usually found in the centre of a city.
False. Business parks are usually on the outskirts, where land is cheaper and access to main roads is easier.
Give two impacts of traditional industry on the physical environment.
Air and water pollution from factory emissions and waste, and land degradation from quarrying, mining and derelict land.
Give two ways a modern science park can be environmentally sustainable.
An attractive setting with green space and trees, and being well served by public transport while minimising waste and using energy efficiently.
True or false? Modern industrial developments such as science parks have no negative environmental impacts.
False. Building them can remove trees and green space, and large car parks add to air pollution and congestion.
What does 'environmentally sustainable industry' mean?
Industry that meets present needs without damaging the environment for future generations, e.g. by cutting waste, emissions and energy use.
What is counter-urbanisation?
The movement of people out of cities to live in rural or more accessible countryside areas.
Give two positive changes in a rural area with population growth.
More housing built on the outskirts of cities in accessible rural areas, and business opportunities from more, often more affluent, customers.
Give two negative changes in a rural area with population growth.
House prices rise, pricing out local people; roads become congested and services such as schools and doctors' surgeries become overcrowded.
Give two negative changes in a rural area with population decline.
Shops, services and schools close through lack of custom or pupils, and the population becomes increasingly elderly, reducing social sustainability.
True or false? Rural population decline brings only negative changes.
False. A strong community spirit can emerge to keep the area alive, and villages remain unspoilt by modern 'identikit' development.
What is Crossrail?
A high-capacity rail link (the Elizabeth line) running east–west across London, improving capacity and journey times in the capital.
Give two ways UK road infrastructure has been improved.
Smart motorways that use the hard shoulder and variable speed limits, and new road links, toll roads and bypasses.
Why is increasing UK port and airport capacity important for the economy?
Larger ports (e.g. Liverpool2, London Gateway) handle bigger container ships and create jobs, while extra airport capacity helps London stay a leading global financial centre.
What is the north–south divide?
The gap in wealth, health and employment between the generally richer south-east of the UK and the poorer north.
What is the Northern Powerhouse?
A government strategy to boost the northern economy by devolving powers and funding to northern city mayors and improving rail infrastructure.
What is a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)?
A partnership of local businesses and councils, set up from 2011, that identified business needs and promoted investment to boost the local economy and create jobs. Their roles passed to local councils in 2024.
Give one criticism of strategies used to reduce the north–south divide.
HS2 has gone far over budget and its northern leg to Manchester was cancelled in 2023, so it may bring little benefit to the north.
True or false? Every place in the north of England performs worse than every place in the south on measures such as life expectancy.
False. The trend is general only — some northern places score above the national average.
What is the Commonwealth?
A voluntary association of over 50 independent countries, most of them former British colonies.
Give two ways the UK is linked to the wider world apart from trade.
Culture (TV, music, sport) and transport, plus electronic communication such as internet cables and satellites.
Give one economic benefit and one economic drawback for the UK of leaving the EU.
Benefit: it can forge new trading alliances and saves EU membership payments. Drawback: it loses EU economic support for poorer UK regions and TNCs may relocate to EU countries.
Give one political effect on the UK of leaving the EU.
The UK no longer has a decision-making voice in the EU, though it can now make its own rules and alliances.
What is an enterprise zone?
A designated area where the government gives firms incentives, such as business-rate discounts and relaxed planning permission, to attract investment and create jobs in places that need them.
Give two reasons why modern industry tends to be more environmentally sustainable than traditional heavy industry.
Any two of: stricter environmental laws limit pollution; rising energy and waste-disposal costs make efficiency save money; greater public concern about the environment pushes firms to act.