Skip to main content
Susanne Frick

Dr Susanne Frick

(she/her)

Teams and roles for Susanne Frick

Overview

Susanne is a Lecturer in Economic Geography. She joined Cardiff University in December 2023. Her research focuses on the drivers of local and regional economic development, with particular interest in the design and effectiveness of industrial and place-based development policies. Before joining Cardiff, she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, where she examined urban development policies across European cities.

Susanne completed her PhD in Economic Geography and held a Fellowship in Local Economic Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She brings substantial experience as a consultant to international organisations and governments, having worked with the World Bank, UNCTAD, and other institutions. Prior to her doctoral studies, Susanne spent several years with Dalberg Global Development Advisors, where she supported clients such as the Gates Foundation and the International Trade Centre in strategic planning initiatives. She also worked in Guatemala for two years with Fundesa, a private-sector-funded think tank, collaborating closely with the Ministry of Economy on an inclusive economic development strategy.

Publication

2025

2024

2023

2022

2019

2018

2017

2016

Articles

Conferences

Monographs

Websites

Research

My general research interest revolves around understanding the drivers of regional and urban development; how these drivers can be influenced by policy as well as the social and economic consequences of spatial inequalities. To date, I have explored this overarching interest mainly through three research strands:

  1. the relationship between urbanization, cities and economic development (see for example here and here for non-technical articles on this topic)
  2. the implementation of local development policies in emerging economies (see for example here and here for policy reports for which I was one of the main authors)
  3. transformative processes in Western cities and urban development policies (see for example here and here

For peer-reviewed publications related to these topics, please refer to the publications tab.

Furthermore, I am currently involved in a research project funded by The Productivity Institute on the role of state development banks for regional and local development (you can find some background information about the project context here)

In my research I strive for policy relevance and have worked closely with international organizations, including the World Bank and UNCTAD as well as local governments.



 

Teaching

I am generally involved in the teaching of research methods and modules related to economic geography. I am the module leader for the first year course in "Urban Economies" and cover the quantitative section of the "Introduction to Research Methods" module in the second year. 

I am also supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students for their dissertations and act as a personal tutor.

 

Supervisions

Current supervision

Contact Details