80. A local pound for local people

This week, we're talking urban economics – or why people who support the Bristol Pound might as well be voting for Donald Trump.

I'm joined, via a mildly crackly Skype connection, by Paul Swinney, mackem and head of policy at the Centre for Cities. He explains why local currencies like the Brixton Pound, which have been popping up of late, are basically just protectionism – and why the Preston Model of local procurement is no better.

From that we move on to what cities actually need to do to boost their economies – and why so much of it comes down to skills.

Skylines is the podcast from the New Statesman’s cities site, CityMetric. It’s hosted by Jonn Elledge.