Staff
Professor Ian Stone, BA, MA, PhD
Contact Professor Ian Stone (email at i.e.stone@durham.ac.uk)
Biography
Ian is Professorial Fellow at Durham University Business School and St Chad's College, Durham University, and Director of the Durham Policy Research Group. After studying economics and economic history at Leicester, Simon Fraser (Canada), and Cambridge Universities, he held academic posts at the Universities of Victoria (Wellington, NZ), Newcastle, Sunderland and Northumbria. At the latter, he was Professor of Economics and founder-director of the Northern Economic Research Unit, NERU, before joining Durham University Business School in 2003.
His work on the region, extending over nearly 30 years, is very extensive, covering research and policy advice with respect to impact analysis (foreign direct investment, universities, sport), industrial restructuring, business survival, and the labour market and skills. Ian initiated the North East Economic Model for the North East, funded by One North East and developed jointly with Andrew Hunt. He was adviser to the NE Assembly Scrutiny Panel on (1) inward investment and (2) high level skills; to Newcastle-Gateshead on the Economic Masterplan, and Durham County on its Business & Enterprise Strategy; he is also a long-standing member of the NE Academic Panel, chair of NE Business Awards (SMEs) and former editor of Northern Economic Review.
Nationally, he has served as an Experts Panel member for the UK SSDA, and is currently a Research Fellow at the UK Commission for Employment & Skills, advising on research programmes, including implementation of the Leitch Report proposals and the development of the new Growth and Innovation Fund. His outward-facing research group, undertakes projects worth around £500,000 annually, undertaking research on behalf of government departments and other organisations, including BIS Enterprise Executive, the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, Turner Commission (Pensions), UKCES and Microsoft, and has published widely in terms of research reports and refereed journals. He was an adviser to the UK Cabinet Office (Third Sector) and ESRC on establishing a national centre for third sector research.
Ian recently advised the Canadian Government (Industry Canada) on training policy for small firms, and in 2008 was the Invited Expert in a European Commission delegation to Santiago, briefing the Chilean Government on employment policy in Europe. Other international activity includes specialist management training (labour markets and employment policy) for EC officials in Brussels, and mentorship of the Centre for Entrepreneurship (ENTER), Södertörn University College, Sweden. He is joint MD of Durham Translators Ltd, a University spin-out in 2010, and a KTP supervisor of a project between DBS and Business & Enterprise Group Ltd. He has published over 50 academic articles and book chapters, as well as a book published by Cambridge University Press on Indian economic history (2002), and a recent sporting lives study for Sport in History.
His teaching focuses upon entrepreneurship at postgraduate level, including new venture creation, and his annual Dragon's Den competition is an integrated part of wider university business plan activities.
Ian served as President of the SCR and member of College Council at Grey College during 2004-07, and currently chairs the Environment Committee at St Chad's College. Married to a Mathematics professor at the Université de Montréal, he turns out for the University Staff cricket team, and 2011 marks his his 25th Great North Run.
Research Groups
Selected Publications
Books: authored
- Stone, I. (2002). Perspectives on Technological Change in a Peasant Economy: Canal Irrigation in British India. Cambridge University Press.
Books: sections
- Stone, I. (2012). Alec Nelson: Professional Runner, Athletics Coach and Entrepreneur-Client. In Sporting Lives, special issue of ‘Sport in History'. Day, D. Routledge. 103-133.
Journal papers: academic
- Stone, I., Hunt, A. & Holmes, P.R. (2010). An analysis of new firm survival using a hazard function. Applied Economics 42(2): 185-195.
- Stone, I. & Stubbs, C. (2007). Enterprising expatriates: lifestyle migration and entrepreneurship in rural southern Europe. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development 19(5): 433-450.
- Drummond, I. & Stone, I. (2007). Exploring the potential of high performance work systems in SMEs. Employee Relations 29(2): 192-207.
- Phelps, N., Mackinnon, D., Stone, I. & Braidford, P. (2003). Embedding the multinationals? Institutions and the development of overseas manufacturing affiliates in Wales and North East England. Regional Studies 37(1): 27-40.
- Stone, I., Braidford, P., Phelps, N. & McKinnon, D. (2001). Foreign Direct Investment in the North East: Still living out of a suitcase?. Northern Economic Review (31): 95-111.
Reports: official
- P. Braidford, I. Stone, M Houston & F. Bolger (2012). Promoting High Performance Working.
- Allinson, G. Braidford, P. Houston, M., Robinson, F. & Stone, I. (2011). Business Support for Social Enterprises: Findings From a Longitudinal Study. Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
- Stone, I. (2011). International approaches to high performance working. UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
- Stone, I. (2010). Encouraging small firms to invest in training: learning from overseas. Wath-Upon-Dearne, Yorkshire, UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
- Braidford, P. & Stone, I. (2010). Solutions for Business Cross-product Monitoring Survey. Durham Business School.
- Allinson, G., Stone, I., Braidford, P. & Houston, M. (2009). Early stage assessment of the impact of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) on recipient firms. Department for Business Innovation & Skills.
- Stanfield, C. Sloan, J., Cox, A. & Stone, I. (2009). Review of Employer Collective Measures: Final Report. UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
- Stone, I. & Braidford, P. (2008). Engaging small employers in continuing training an international review of policies and initiatives. Sector Skills Development Agency.
