Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: Disruption Index Spotlight Report

In this Spotlight Report, we examine in more detail the performance of the region of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – referred to as ‘Cornwall’ for brevity in this report – in terms of the technological transformation ‘Disruption Index’ we constructed for the whole of England as part of the Pissarides Review.

The Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing - funded by the Nuffield Foundation - is a multi-year project led by Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides. Across multiple workstreams, leading academics from Imperial College, Warwick Business School, LSE and UCL are producing research on technology adoption, and the impacts on good work, skills, job quality and wellbeing at a firm, worker and institutional level. Central to this work is the geography of these impacts, and both the opportunities and risks of regional inequalities being narrowed or further entrenched through this period of major technological change.

As part of the project, the team constructed the Disruption Index (DI), an innovative tool that offers a new perspective into the multifaceted nature of technological transformation across the country. The DI changes how these societal challenges are perceived, assessed and addressed. By tracking indicators across the technology lifecycle - from investment and the innovation ecosystem to education and connectivity infrastructure – the DI offers new insights into the primary components of technological transformation and our readiness for it, helping policymakers identify the most impactful access points for intervention.

By breaking down the components of Technological Transformation and Readiness – and showing that they are not inevitable – the DI opens the door to a more sustainable, responsible technology ecosystem and decentralised, equitable economy.

This Spotlight Report also contains a background piece exploring Cornwall’s long industrial history, and case studies of firms operating in the region, and their experiences of technology adoption.