Five challenges· Economic growth A build-up economic strategy How much growth could the Government’s reforms deliver? Thursday 19 September 2024 The past 15 years of economic stagnation has caused families’ living standards to flatline, and the new Government is right to put ‘kickstarting’ growth at the heart of its agenda. Already, Ministers have set out what many of their pro-growth reforms will be – from reforming planning rules to delivering 1.5 million homes, to setting … Continued READ MORE
Wales· Fiscal policy· Cities and regions· Scotland· Economic growth Policy making beyond Westminster Economic lessons from 25 years of national devolution Monday 29 April 2024 1999 saw the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Senedd all meet in their full form for the first time. This marked the most significant act of devolution of the 20th Century, and it has changed the United Kingdom significantly over the past quarter of a century. The process of devolution has continued … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Net zero· Living standards· Firms· Demographics· Productivity & industrial strategy· Brexit & trade· Cities and regions· Economic growth· Tax· Macroeconomic policy Ending Stagnation A New Economic Strategy for Britain Monday 4 December 2023 The final report of The Economy 2030 Inquiry The UK has great strengths, but is a decade and a half into a period of stagnation. The combination of slow growth and high inequality is proving toxic for low- and middle-income Britain. The result is a country falling behind its peers, where taxes, rather than wages, … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Inventing a better Britain How does R&D fit into a new UK economic strategy? Wednesday 15 November 2023 Low productivity is the foundational cause of Britain’s recent economic malaise, and raising it is a top priority for policy makers. Public and private investment in research and development is a key route to boosting productivity and future economic growth. But businesses often complain that policy makers are failing to create an environment that encourages … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Firms· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth An investment nation Can Britain shift from living off its past to investing in its future? Thursday 22 June 2023 Britain is in relative decline, as productivity and wages stagnate. This reflects a decade of shocks but also a longer lasting problem – Britain has spent recent decades living off its past rather than investing in its future. In both public and private investment the UK consistently lags behind its international peers, leaving British workers … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Shaping the next revolution How can we ensure that technological change boosts our national prosperity? Wednesday 24 May 2023 Technological innovations – from new agricultural machinery to industrialisation and the invention of the computer – have powered economic progress over the past 1,000 years. But technological leaps do not automatically lead to living standards improvements, and can instead cause economic disruption and pose threats to workers. As we stand on the precipice of a … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Economic growth Saving capitalism, rescuing democracy Book launch for The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism by Martin Wolf Tuesday 7 February 2023 Recent decades have not been kind to liberal democracy. Growth has slowed, inequality risen. Powerful voices argue that capitalism is better without democracy, while others argue that democracy is better without capitalism. But despite the travails of democratic capitalism this system brings substantial benefits. Turning the tide on populism requires both reflecting on these advantages … Continued READ MORE
Economic growth· Political parties and elections The experts strike back? A joint Resolution Foundation and Political Quarterly launch event for Politicians and economic experts: the limits of technocracy by Anna Killick Thursday 8 December 2022 The relationship between politicians and economists has always been complicated, and it has become particularly rocky in Britain over the last decade. Divisions during the Brexit referendum prompted Michael Gove to quip that Britain had ‘had enough of experts’ while a key pillar of Trussonomics was challenging existing economic institutions from the Treasury to the … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Wales· Cities and regions· Economic growth The future of the UK economy Navigating a route to a fairer and more prosperous Wales, and beyond Thursday 24 November 2022 The whole of the United Kingdom is facing a decisive decade of huge economic change, from tackling the energy bills crisis, to restructuring after Brexit and the pandemic, and urgently transitioning towards a net zero future. These shifts present big new opportunities for people and places throughout Wales, such as being a hub for renewable … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Living standards· Fiscal policy· Economy and public finances· Economic growth What next? The impact of Trussonomics, tax cuts and market turmoil Thursday 29 September 2022 The last few days have seen a radical reshaping of the Government’s economic policy and a radical reaction from financial markets. Out have gone both Treasury orthodoxy and the legacy of the Johnson premiership, and in are lower taxes, higher borrowing – and higher borrowing costs as spooked markets respond. Will this new strategy boost … Continued READ MORE
Economic growth Slouching towards utopia? Brad DeLong on the economic history of the 20th century Wednesday 14 September 2022 The 20th century was one of unparalleled economic growth – from rising living standards and an explosion of material wealth, to massive falls in poverty and deprivation. But it was also one of huge economic disruption, caused by, and the cause of, brutal global conflicts, as well as one of competing economic philosophies and outlooks, … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Brexit & trade· Cities and regions· Economic growth The future of the UK economy Navigating a route to a fairer and more prosperous Northern Ireland, and beyond Monday 12 September 2022 The whole of the United Kingdom is facing a decisive decade of huge economic change, from tackling the energy bills crisis, to restructuring after Brexit and the pandemic, and urgently transitioning towards a net zero future. These shifts present big new opportunities for people and places throughout Northern Ireland, such as being a hub for … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Net zero· Firms· Productivity & industrial strategy· Brexit & trade· Economic growth Stagnation Nation? The Economy 2030 Inquiry conference Wednesday 13 July 2022 The UK is facing a decisive decade of economic change, as we emerge from the pandemic, adjust to Brexit, and urgently transition towards a net zero future. Some hope these changes will help us overcome the stagnation that has seen the UK enter the 2020s with low growth and high inequality – be that via … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Cities and regions· Economic growth All change please? What going for growth could mean for different places across Britain Tuesday 7 June 2022 After a decade of stagnation and many decades of persistent regional economic divides, the task of securing a brighter economic future for a wider range of places is now up in lights. It’s an ambition that resonates with the public too, and if policy makers across local, city-wide and national government are to take effective … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances· Economic growth Bidenomics Lessons for the UK Tuesday 15 March 2022 Speech by Jared Bernstein, Member of the Council for Economic Advisors under President Biden, with response by Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves Joe Biden came into office with an ambitious economic plan for building back American prosperity after the pandemic – with policy objectives ranging from the renewal of infrastructure and greater childcare support, to more … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Firms· Economic growth A firm solution? How businesses can rise to the challenges facing Britain in this decisive decade Monday 21 February 2022 Speech by the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership Sharon White Britain is facing a decisive decade of economic change as technological change combines with Covid, Brexit and the rapid transition towards a net zero economy. These challenges are set against a backdrop of rapid demographic shifts, and a legacy of low productivity and high … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Monetary policy· Firms· Economic growth Open for business? Assessing the performance of British firms Monday 15 November 2021 British firms have had a tumultuous decade – from the financial crisis to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020s brings new challenges as they grapple with post-Brexit trade and regulatory changes, the net zero transition, and improving the UK’s woeful productivity record. But what is the state of British business as it heads into this decisive … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Pay· Economic growth Gaining from growth When the economy grows, do wages? Wednesday 3 November 2021 While GDP is rarely discussed in the pub, the feedthrough from economic growth to higher wages is central to boosting family living standards. And while both pay and wider economic growth have been in short supply in the UK over the past decade, there is growing unease at the sense that these two crucial measures … Continued READ MORE
Economic growth Cogs and Monsters How economics needs to adapt to solve the world’s crises Tuesday 12 October 2021 Digital technology, big data, machine learning and AI are revolutionizing both the tools of economics and the phenomena it seeks to measure, understand, and shape. The profession faces enormous challenges and opportunities in responding effectively to these dizzying changes and in helping policymakers solve the world’s crises – from steering the Covid recovery and tackling … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Economic growth From boom to bust and back again 200 years of economic change across Britain Thursday 2 September 2021 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 … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Economic growth Building back better Structural change in post-pandemic economies Thursday 27 May 2021 From the emptying of city centres and closure of entire industries, to the rapid growth in remote offices and new methods of work, the Covid-19 pandemic has fast-forwarded change in our economies. How much of this change is permanent, and what does it mean for how and where we live and work? How can policy … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Powering ahead Raising our productivity game post-pandemic Wednesday 26 May 2021 The period between the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic has been marked by chronically weak productivity across many advanced economies. In the UK that has seen weak pay growth and stagnant living standards. The Covid recovery offers an opportunity to reset this dismal productivity record, but how should policy makers do this? In … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Labour market· Brexit & trade· Economic growth The UK’s decisive decade Launch of The Economy 2030 Inquiry Tuesday 18 May 2021 The UK is on the brink of a decade of change. In the 2020s, the country will need to not just recover from Covid-19, but also emerge from the EU, urgently transition towards a Net Zero future, and adapt to transformative technology. Instead of simply being the post-pandemic period, this is the decisive decade in … Continued READ MORE
Fiscal policy· Economic growth Paying for Covid Repairing the public finances without derailing the economy Thursday 12 November 2020 COVID-19 has already been extremely expensive, with borrowing forecast to exceed £400 billion this year and a substantial deficit set to continue well after the crisis has passed. But that borrowing has been crucial in supporting the economy through the deepest recession for 300 years and government spending has a crucial role to play in … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Living standards· Economy and public finances· Economic growth Building a nation to belong to Preparing for a new post-pandemic economy Thursday 11 June 2020 Live interactive webinar to launch new book ‘The economics of belonging’ by Martin Sandbu. Register to receive access link. In just over a decade, the UK has been hit by two major global recessions with, for too many, little recovery in between. This has exposed long building political, economic and cultural divides – divides that … Continued READ MORE
