From boom to bust and back again

Book launch for ‘Two hundred years of muddling through’ by Duncan Weldon

The UK is facing a decisive decade of change, responding to the triple shocks of Brexit, Covid-19 and the transition to Net Zero. But this is not the first time Britain has faced such a radical upheaval. From industrial revolutions and the rise and fall of the British empire, to world wars, the great depression and the creation of the welfare state, Britain has weathered many economic storms and resets over the past two centuries.

How has Britain managed previous periods of economic change? On each occasion, how much has our economic future been shaped by our economic past? And what can today’s policy makers learn from our history as they navigate the decade of economic change to come?

As part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, the Resolution Foundation is hosting a book launch for Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through: The Surprising Story of the British Economy by Duncan Weldon. We will be joined by Judy Stephenson, Associate Professor at UCL, to discuss the themes of the book, and the wider questions about Britain’s experience of economic change in the past, present and future. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event.