The Black Economists Network: what it is, and why we need it 11 November 2021 by Felicia Odamtten This November marks the two-year anniversary of the launch of The Black Economists Network (TBEN[1]), an organisation founded by myself that strives to challenge the lack of diversity in economics by connecting and supporting Black people in the field as well as working with other organisations to improve their diversity strategies. To mark this anniversary, … Continued READ MORE
We’d all better get used to it, the direction of travel on taxes is upwards 4 November 2021 by Torsten Bell Taxes are going up. At least that’s the government’s official plan. Tax is set to exceed 36 per cent of GDP in the middle of this decade, according to the forecasts accompanying last week’s budget. That would be the highest since 1950, amounting to a £3,000 increase per household since Boris Johnson became prime minister. The … Continued READ MORE
There is no simple story of migrants down, wages up The UK needs a post-Brexit, post-Covid economic strategy, not another argument about immigration 2 November 2021 by Torsten Bell We ask a lot of migrants. They make up almost one-in-five of our workforce, run many of our biggest businesses, and disproportionately clean our homes, care for our sick, and carry ever-growing online purchases to our doors. If that wasn’t enough, we’re now asking them to solve a rather big problem: the UK’s absence of … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events This Budget will leave the poorest households hundreds of pounds a year worse off Families across Britain should expect a bumpy ride over the next six months 2 November 2021 by Mike Brewer Having spent the first 18 months in the job delivering Covid crisis fiscal statements, you can understand why there was a celebratory vibe to the Chancellor’s first “post-crisis” Budget today. The Government’s official economic watchdog, the OBR, came to the party laden with gifts – including a major upgrade to economic growth and a £141 … Continued READ MORE
Rishi Sunak’s serves up Boris Budget with higher taxes and spending 2 November 2021 by Torsten Bell The big economic backdrop to today’s Budget was growth and spending up, but living standards are stagnating – yet again. We heard a lot from the Chancellor on these first two trends as he delivered a ‘Boris Budget’ and spent half of the £141billion borrowing windfall handed down by the Office for Budget Responsibility. Much … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Workertech newsletter: October 2021 The latest update from Resolution Ventures 28 October 2021 by Emma Selinger This week’s Budget and next week’s COP26 have led to a growing conversation around skills, wages and the green economy. Yet there is still a big shift needed to answer key questions and turn policy into practice. How do we define a green job or skill? How can we use data and technology to support green jobs? What does a … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Boris Johnson is wrong to downplay the impact on families from the Universal Credit cut Rising inflation and surging energy bills come as the government takes £20 a week off families in the Universal Credit cut 6 October 2021 by Torsten Bell Today was a big deal for Boris Johnson who delivered his speech to the Conservative Party Conference. But it’s an even bigger day for low-and-middle income households across Britain, for all the wrong reasons. As the PM stepped up onto stage, their income took a step down with Universal Credit cut by £20 a week. … Continued READ MORE
Intergenerational Centre Property tax would bridge the wealth gap between ages 6 October 2021 by David Willetts It is more than ten years since I published The Pinch, setting out how huge intergenerational injustices were opening up across Britain. Or to use the more provocative wording on the cover, how baby boomers took their children’s future — and why they should give it back. The issue has risen up the agenda in recent … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Workertech newsletter: September 2021 The latest update from Resolution Ventures 1 October 2021 by Emma Selinger In a recent interview on diversity in innovation Bayo Adelaja, CEO of Do It Now Now said, “If we are going to build a world that is truly fit for purpose, we need representation of everyone who is going to be engaging with it.” At Resolution Ventures, one of the groups we want to work with and create impact … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Living standards· Labour market Who is still on furlough and what will happen next? 30 September 2021 by Torsten Bell The past 18 months have been full of surprises, all too often on the downside. But as well as the miracle of vaccines, we should also celebrate the triumph of the coronavirus job retention scheme (JRS), or furlough as we’ve come to know it. Turn the clock back to early 2020, and who’d have guessed … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Prices & consumption Soaring energy bills will turn cost of living crunch into a crisis 22 September 2021 by Torsten Bell We are heading into a cost-of-living crunch this autumn, with low and middle-income Britain facing the tightest squeeze as bills rise and Universal Credit is cut. Crises often build slowly then hit fast — and that is exactly what has been happening here, as the difficulties of reopening an economy after a pandemic shutdown hit … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Tax Low tax conservatism is dead, but fiscal conservatism is back in fashion 13 September 2021 by Torsten Bell The Prime Minister and Chancellor made huge policy decisions this week, raising taxes to spend more on the NHS and protect the assets of those facing high social care costs. But the tsunami of announcements can also hide the biggest decisions they’ve taken: to bury the idea of low tax conservatism but resurrect, after a … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Workertech newsletter: August 2021 The latest update from Resolution Ventures 2 September 2021 by Emma Selinger In the run up to our TUC Fringe event on the future of technology and worker power on 14 September, this edition will put a spotlight on some innovations in the world of digital organising. As always, if you have any suggestions for our newsletter or want to know more about any of the … Continued READ MORE
Covid could still make a mockery of the best-laid economic plans 2 September 2021 by Torsten Bell The last 18 months haven’t been normal. You’ll have noticed. But while it’s blindingly obvious in our personal lives, we’ve struggled to recognise it when thinking about the economy. All downturns are different, from their causes to their depths. This is a challenge for policy makers prone to looking back to previous recessions for clues … Continued READ MORE
Buckle up – milkshake droughts are just the start 1 September 2021 by Torsten Bell We’re not used to modern capitalism being a mess. For something so incredibly complex, it runs incredibly smoothly in normal times. Even those of us who don’t like many of its outcomes, for inequality or the environment, can marvel at how quickly a huge variety of goods and services are available to us almost instantaneously. … Continued READ MORE
Wishful thinking will not close Britain’s inequality gaps 31 August 2021 by Torsten Bell Optimism helps get us through tough times, and this pandemic has had plenty of those. The recent reopening of the economy has provided grounds for optimism, with firms hiring at a swift pace. But wishful thinking can be dangerous, and when it comes to the economic legacy of this crisis there’s far too much around. … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030 We all pay the price for narrow thinking on social protection Chip away at the cement of society for long enough and sooner or later something will give 29 August 2021 by Gavin Kelly READ MORE
Net zero· Economy 2030 The latest climate warning further highlights gaps in our decarbonising plans IPCC reports seldom bring good news, but the latest assessment finds that the crucial marker of a 1.5C temperature increase on pre-industrial times could be with us in just two decades 13 August 2021 by Jonathan Marshall The latest summary of global climate science, compiled over years by hundreds of researchers, brings yet another stark warning on how the world is not decarbonising fast enough. READ MORE
Ventures Workertech newsletter: July 2021 The latest update from Resolution Ventures 29 July 2021 by Emma Selinger This edition of the Workertech newsletter takes you under the hood of Bethnal Green Ventures’ Tech for Good Accelerator, along with sharing news and opportunities from the world of workertech. If you’d like hear more about the Workertech Partnership or any content in this newsletter, please get in touch with us via ventures@resolutionroundation.org or book a … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Workertech and the low paid: what’s technology got to do with it? 19 July 2021 by Louise Marston Picture an image that represents ‘the Future of Work’. It might include a virtual reality headset, or a remotely controlled robot. It almost certainly features digital technology of some kind. Recent reports on the future of work have predicted rising automation, the death of the office and a future of remote working. Our picture of … Continued READ MORE
Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions· Economic growth Solving the productivity puzzle 15 July 2021 by Lindsay Judge Regional inequalities are a longstanding feature within UK political debate. However, they have gained additional pertinence in the years since the 2008 financial crisis. From the 2016 EU referendum result, through the ‘red wall’ turning blue in the 2019 general election, to the differential impact of Covid-19 across the UK, place increasingly functions as a … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030 Preparing for a decade of economic change Lessons from the era of White Heat 5 July 2021 by Gavin Kelly Boris Johnson’s administration may well oversee the start of a period of major upheaval for the UK economy – quite possibly the largest since the 1980s. Whether it is post-Brexit trade dislocation, new patterns of production and consumption resulting from the imperative of Net Zero, a long Covid hangover, or the rise of digital technologies … Continued READ MORE
UK employers may be struggling to fill jobs, but this isn’t a new era of worker power Although the labour market is starting to recover, the effects of the pandemic will be felt for a very long time 2 July 2021 by Torsten Bell Commentators have decided that the labour market is booming, reporting that firms are finding it hard to hire people. Some have predicted the dawn of a new era of worker power that will push up wages, while others worry labour shortages will hold our recovery back. The bigger danger, however, is that we’re losing sight of what’s … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19 The Covid certainty: more savings for the rich, more debt for the poor 30 June 2021 by Torsten Bell We’re emerging from the Covid crisis, slowly and, thanks to the Delta variant, not so surely. During the pandemic, scientists have understandably been centre stage, helping us understand the virus and its spread. But economists and other social scientists have done their bit too. Badly needed emergency policies have been developed. Some, such as the … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Workertech newsletter: June 2021 The latest update from Resolution Ventures 21 June 2021 by Louise Marston Hello and welcome to June’s Workertech newsletter from Resolution Ventures, covering how technology is improving the world of low-paid and precarious work. This month we’ve put a spotlight on American Workertech, and some of the great organisations in the US. Also make sure to catch up on the video of our June event – … Continued READ MORE
