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
Ventures Workertech newsletter: May 2021 The latest update from Resolution Ventures 21 May 2021 by Emma Selinger Welcome to the first edition of the Workertech Newsletter from Resolution Ventures. We’re delighted to be reaching out to everyone in our Workertech community. The Workertech community exists to convene workers, unions, investors, employers, policymakers and researchers using technology to change the world of work for the better for those in low-paid and precarious employment. The Workertech … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030 The UK is entering a decisive decade of economic change without a plan to shape it 20 May 2021 by Torsten Bell The UK is facing a decisive decade of economic change that the country is neither used to, nor prepared for. It’s time to rebuild our approach to economic success in the light of those shifts to the jobs we do, the firms we work for and the places in which we live. Simply muddling through, by … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Shock Absorbers: is there a role for innovation in improving families’ financial resilience? 4 May 2021 by Louise Marston Financial resilience is often defined as the ability to cope with a financial shock, such as unemployment, or an unexpected cost, such as a car breakdown. It involves access to appropriate and available funds, it is not just a matter of having money available. It also means having access to credit at a reasonable cost; … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Intergenerational Centre Three reasons to be concerned about job losses among older workers A U-Shaped crisis 29 April 2021 by Nye Cominetti Young people have been at the epicentre of the Covid-19 crisis. The severe restrictions and lockdown closures of social sectors of the economy – such as hospitality, retail, arts and leisure, where young workers are concentrated – has led millions of our youngest workers to be put on furlough or, worse still, lose their jobs. … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Pre-pandemic Britain experienced a mini living standards boom – alongside rising child poverty New data show stronger growth in household incomes leading up to the Covid-19 crisis, but we need to look over a longer period for a more accurate impression 25 March 2021 by Karl Handscomb The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) today published statistics on household incomes and poverty covering 2019-20. Because producing these estimates is a time-consuming process – both for the households who are surveyed and the statisticians processing the data into interesting statistics – the results are already a year out of date, and tell us … Continued READ MORE
The Government’s record on Covid-19 has been defined by two big successes and one recurring deadly failure With the worst of the crisis behind us, it is right to assess how the Government has handled the pandemic 19 March 2021 by Mike Brewer The first anniversary of the first national lockdown falls on 23 March. With the worst of the crisis behind us, it is right to assess how the Government has handled the pandemic. Even the Prime Minister’s former Chief Advisor Dominic Cummings thinks the need for an inquiry is urgent. We can break down the Government’s handling of the crisis into … Continued READ MORE
Working in the Think Tank Sector Highlights from our joint event in partnership with other think tanks and organisations 5 March 2021 Think tanks are research organisations that develop ideas on a whole range of subjects affecting society. They make suggestions for action, using research, analysis and commentary to inform and influence politicians, policy makers and the public. Given the recent economic, social and political issues facing the UK, encouraging more diversity in the world of research … Continued READ MORE
Household debt· Housing A loan scheme for renters could stop tenants from being made homeless 18 February 2021 by Lindsay Judge The protracted length of the coronavirus crisis has led to rent arrears reaching twice the level observed going into the crisis. In January 2021, we estimate that over 750,000 families were behind with their housing payments, 300,000 of which contained dependent children. Before the pandemic hit, many families spent a high share of their income … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Fiscal policy· Economy and public finances· Tax Fiscal multi-tasking 12 November 2020 by Torsten Bell Multi-tasking can be hard. Ask any parent that survived lockdown by combining work with something resembling home schooling. But it’s also a fact of life, so the trick is to manage multiple objectives well, not wish them away. This is true for people and our Government. Indeed, fiscal multi-tasking is what the 2020s are all … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Introducing the Workertech Partnership Backing a new wave of innovators who will harness technology to improve the prospects, power and choices of workers 10 November 2020 by Louise Marston The world of work was already changing rapidly before the crisis, with rising use of automation and increasing levels of insecure work. Coronavirus has highlighted how exposed many people are to changes in hours, lack of health and safety protections, and how few opportunities there are for flexible employment that works for families. The coronavirus … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Labour market The Chancellor has prevented a grim winter of redundancies – but has failed to fix the faults with his jobs support package 6 November 2020 by Mike Brewer On Thursday, Rishi Sunak announced that the Job Retention Scheme – where employees can be put on furlough and still get 80 per cent of their wages covered by the government – will continue to the end of March. Self-employed workers can get another three-month grant of 80 per cent of their pre-crisis profits. There … Continued READ MORE
