Housing Old answers to new questions? The future of social housing in the UK Monday 8 April 2019 Post-war governments invested heavily in social housing. But it then fell spectacularly out of favour, with the introduction of Right-to-Buy in 1980 sparking a decline in social housing stock. Almost 40 years on, attitudes toward social housing appear to be changing again. In 2017, Theresa May earmarked £2 billion of new money for social rented … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Looming crisis or new opportunity? Skilling the nation in Brexit Britain Monday 18 March 2019 Raising skill-levels boosts pay, productivity and ultimately living standards. And yet the pace of growth in educational attainment has stalled – with a slowdown in people progressing to mid- and higher-level qualifications, and many firms reporting damaging skills shortages. Who has benefitted from investment in skills over the last 20 years, and who has been … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Even Greater Manchester: The London launch of the Independent Prosperity Review Tuesday 5 March 2019 The Greater Manchester Independent Prosperity Review was established to undertake a detailed and rigorous assessment of the current state, and future potential, of Greater Manchester’s economy. The review provides a major update of the city region’s economic evidence base providing lessons for policy makers across Greater Manchester, and for other city-regions across the UK with … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances Spring in our step or long winter ahead? The UK economy on Brexit eve Monday 4 March 2019 Coming a fortnight before Britain is scheduled to leave the EU, the upcoming Spring Statement will provide an important health check on the UK economy as we prepare to depart. But looking into the future poses challenges for any forecaster wrestling with the recent growth slowdown and the uncertainty of what form Brexit will eventually … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Taking stock: What do changes in the way we shop mean for jobs in retail? Wednesday 27 February 2019 The seismic changes on the high street have been hugely visible throughout Britain, and prompted much soul searching from businesses, communities and policy makers in local, regional and national government. But even more important than the recent loss of some household names, is what the changing way we live, work and shop means for the … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Economy and public finances The Economic Outlook: Speech by MPC member Gertjan Vlieghe Thursday 14 February 2019 Predicting the future is an impossible task during the most stable economic climates, let alone amid the uncertainty currently facing the UK economy. But a clear understanding of the UK’s economic outlook, and how this fits with wider global trends, is essential for sound policy making. At an event at its Westminster headquarters, the Resolution … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Happy now? Wellbeing lessons for policy makers Wednesday 13 February 2019 Subjective wellbeing is arguably the most important objective for households, but historically it has been far less of a priority for governments. However, the wellbeing agenda has grown in importance in Whitehall over the last decade and we have been comprehensively tracking it in official data since 2011. Now is the time to ask what concrete … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances British politics beyond Brexit: Where are Labour heading? Monday 11 February 2019 Brexit is dominating our politics, but there will be politics beyond Brexit. New domestic policy issues will force their way back onto the agenda, and old ones – including those driving aspects of the Brexit vote – will return to national debates. Our biggest political parties will shape – and be shaped by– these debates … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances British politics beyond Brexit: Where are the Conservatives heading? Thursday 7 February 2019 Brexit is dominating our politics, but there will be politics beyond Brexit. New domestic policy issues will force their way back onto the agenda, and old ones – including those driving aspects of the Brexit vote – will return to national debates. Our biggest political parties will shape – and be shaped by – these … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances Back to the future on Brexit: Digging deep into how Britain came to leave Wednesday 6 February 2019 Book launch for ‘A Short History of Brexit’ by Kevin O’ Rourke The UK’s decision to leave the European Union may have come as a surprise to some, but it certainly didn’t come out of nowhere. Our relationship with Europe, and the nature of the EU itself, are both products of a history built up … Continued READ MORE
Labour market The jobs boom: How has our employment surge changed Britain? Monday 14 January 2019 Ten years ago, as the financial crisis became a crisis for the real economy, many expected to see a return to the 3 million unemployed that had followed the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s. Instead Britain saw far fewer job losses and a stronger employment recovery, with the UK hitting new employment records from … Continued READ MORE
Housing Lender of last resort? The Bank of Mum and Dad and Britain’s millennial housing crisis Tuesday 4 December 2018 High house prices and weak wage growth have led to a stark fall in home ownership rates among young people since the early 2000s, with a typical first-time buyer needing 18 years to save for a deposit, up from 3 years in the mid-90s. Increasingly stepping into this gap has been the Bank of Mum … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances Light at the end of the tunnel? Will it be an ‘end of austerity’ Budget Wednesday 24 October 2018 With just a few weeks to go until Budget 2018, the Chancellor faces a tough balancing act of managing high expectations following promises of an end to austerity, and even higher uncertainty as Britain prepares to leave the European Union next Spring. Faced with such uncertainty, how can the Chancellor find the extra £20bn promised … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Riding the Rollercoaster: How volatile earnings can affect living standards Monday 15 October 2018 Much of Britain, from our bills to our welfare state, is built around a steady monthly pay cheque. But for many people their wages are far less secure. There are many reasons for earnings volatility – from people changing roles, switching hours or losing shifts, to receiving a one-off bonus – but its extent and … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Understanding Britain’s pay crisis Tuesday 9 October 2018 Britain is on course to experience the worst decade for pay growth in over two centuries – an unmitigated disaster for living standards. But while a large part of this is down to the financial crisis and its aftermath, Britain’s terrible record on pay has continued even while employment has surged to record highs. So … Continued READ MORE
Economic ideas and economic change: learning from the past to tackle the big economic challenges of the future Monday 8 October 2018 Ten years on from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, we are all still living in the shadow of the global financial crash. Each week brings new headlines on the political and economic challenges developed countries face, but despite the depth of the economic crisis, new ideas and new approaches have not driven big public policy … Continued READ MORE
Party Conferences Fringe Events 2018 Sunday 23 September 2018 Labour The Big Debate: Inequality in 21st Century Britain Sunday 23rd September 6:00pm-7:30pm ACC Liverpool, Auditorium 1C Speakers: Ed Miliband MP Lisa Nandy MP Clive Lewis MP Marvin Rees – Mayor of Bristol Polly Toynbee – The Guardian Frances O’Grady – Trade Union Congress Torsten Bell (Chair) – Director of the Resolution Foundation The Big … Continued READ MORE
Red flags flying high? China’s uncertain future Thursday 20 September 2018 China, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, has grown in confidence on the world stage, winning influence and control especially across Africa and Asia, and increasingly in Europe. But with the country facing major issues including high levels of debt, a middle-income trap, an aging population and institutional problems, is China’s authoritarian regime on … Continued READ MORE
From treadmills to stairwells: social mobility across advanced economies Wednesday 19 September 2018 In recent decades, social mobility has stalled across advanced economies. The UK picture is more mixed – but recent OECD research found that richer families are more likely to stay rich and that the slow pace of mobility means it would take five generations for a poor family to reach average income. Looking across advanced … Continued READ MORE
Film screening: A Northern Soul Wednesday 19 September 2018 As Hull was crowned the UK City of Culture for 2017, Steve Arnott – a warehouse worker and aspiring rapper – persuaded his employer to support his ‘Beats Bus’, a bus-turned-recording studio that tours schools and encourages children, many of whom live in poverty, to express themselves. Director Sean McAllister was born in Hull, returning … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Making Universal Credit universal: Getting the next phase of Universal Credit right Thursday 6 September 2018 The early years of Universal Credit have been dogged by delays and teething problems, but operational progress means that roll-out across the country and to more complicated cases is now underway. The final phase of its roll-out – moving existing claimants of tax credits or other legacy benefits onto the new system – is set … Continued READ MORE
Social mobility speech by Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds MP Tuesday 31 July 2018 Boosting social mobility is now a widely shared goal of policy makers around the world. But actually achieving that goal is easier said than done. Parental achievement, rather than individual talent, remains a big determinant of young people’s opportunities in life. And schools, colleges, universities and employers all now recognise the need to do more … Continued READ MORE
Poverty and inequality: Lessons from the past, decisions for the future Tuesday 24 July 2018 Since the financial crisis the strength and distribution of household income has dominated much of our political discourse, in stark contrast to a lack of discussion pre-crisis. But the experience of the past actually has much to teach us about the choices Britain faces today. So what has been the story of poverty and inequality … Continued READ MORE
Opportunities knocked? Tackling racial disadvantages and discrimination in the workplace Wednesday 18 July 2018 Over the past two decades, educational attainment and employment have risen across Britain, and in particular amongst many ethnic minority groups. But despite this progress, substantial pay gaps between white workers and ethnic minorities persist. With the introduction of the government’s Race Disparity Unit, questions around ethnicity and inequality are rightly rising up the political … Continued READ MORE
Living standards For richer, for poorer? Inequality highs and lows across rich economies Tuesday 17 July 2018 Book launch for Inequality and Inclusive Growth across Rich Countries Inequality is now a central focus of political and economic debates across rich countries. But while there are common trends that are well known, countries across the West each have their own experience of inequality over the last 40 years. Understanding how patterns of inequality … Continued READ MORE
