  This paper explores a decentralisation initiative in the United Kingdom - the
Northern Powerhouse strategy (NPS) - in terms of its main goal: strengthening
connectivity between Northern cities of England. It focuses on economic
interactions of these cities, defined by ownership linkages between firms,
since the NPS's launch in 2010. The analysis reveals a relatively weak increase
in the intensity of economic regional patterns in the North, in spite of a
shift away from NPS cities' traditional manufacturing base. These results
suggest potential directions for policy-makers in terms of the future
implementation of the NPS.
