Analysis and action on living standards
Two decades of analysis, policy and change
UK Government borrowing costs have once again been in the headlines. Recent moves have, however, been overblown: since benchmark 10-year yields peaked at post-financial-crisis highs of 4.9 per cent in January, they have fallen back. Iin this edition of the MPO we take a longer view, unpacking why the rise in UK yields since the pandemic has been larger here than elsewhere, and discussing how policy should respond.
The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank dedicated to lifting living standards in the UK. We focus particularly on households with low and middle incomes; those on low pay or in precarious work; and those vulnerable to financial shocks.
The government continues to face a series of acute policy challenges, with concerns about the state of the economy, public services, and family finances remaining high. As Parliament returns from its summer recess, the Resolution Foundation and UK in a Changing Europe have partnered to produce the Policy Landscape 2025 report – a series of evidence-led, research-based assessments of the main policy challenges facing the UK, and how politicians could respond.
How do savings, debts, and arrears that shape households’ ability to weather financial shocks? Some lower income households are managing to save more and carry less debt, but many remain just one setback away from difficulty. Savings levels are worryingly low, arrears have grown sharply – particularly on essentials like energy and council tax.
The Resolution Foundation calculates the real Living Wage – a voluntary hourly pay rate that is based on what families need to get by. The current national rate is:
Resolution Ventures exists to back innovative start-ups seeking to change the world of work for the better and early-stage ventures seeking to improve the prospects of low-to-middle income Britain.
Your weekend guide to top political-economy research from around the world
Along the journey from cradle to grave, all sorts of things – including meaning, nurturing and understanding – flow between the generations. But there are also important and much more quantifiable flows – of time, money and other material resources – between the adult cohorts.
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