Labour market The new precariat: exploitation or opportunities in Britain’s labour market? Thursday 19 April 2018 The Resolution Foundation presents a double header book launch on the modern world of work: Humans as a Service: The Promise and Perils of Work in the Gig Economy by Jeremias Prassl Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain by James Bloodworth The gig economy has the potential to revolutionise work, offering more independence for workers, but this … Continued READ MORE
Housing· Intergenerational Centre Home improvements: The role of housing policy in renewing the intergenerational contract Tuesday 17 April 2018 The last decade has seen housing at last work its way to the top of the political agenda. From much lower home ownership and higher housing costs for younger generations, to the sharp increase in families living in less secure rented accommodation, there is now a cross party consensus that Britain faces some serious questions … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances Due an upgrade? What to expect in the Spring Statement Thursday 8 March 2018 The Office for Budget Responsibility delivered the mother of all forecast downgrades in the Autumn Budget last November, revising borrowing up £91bn and annual pay down £1,000. Four months on, and with the Treasury promising a quickfire Spring Statement, the focus will be on whether the latest OBR economic outlook makes more positive reading. Could … Continued READ MORE
Welfare· Intergenerational Centre Capital punishment? Wealth taxation in 21st century Britain Monday 5 March 2018 Speech by Resolution Foundation Executive Chair Lord David Willetts Britain owns a record £13 trillion of wealth – a figure that has grown much faster than GDP in recent decades, while the share of tax collected from it has stayed the same. Given the huge fiscal pressures Britain faces in the coming years and decades, … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Intergenerational Centre Get off your (courier) bike: getting millennials’ careers back on track Monday 26 February 2018 Young people have been hit harder than any other age group by the post-crash pay squeeze, but their pay problems predated the financial crisis. Youth unemployment is low, but millennials are disproportionately likely to find themselves in insecure work. And while millennials are often thought of ‘job hoppers’, they’re actually moving jobs less frequently than … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Beating the forecasts: can Britain overcome official projections for weak growth and flat incomes? Thursday 22 February 2018 Keynote speech by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell The official outlook for the economy is one of slow GDP growth, very weak pay rises and flat household incomes. So it’s no wonder the Chancellor vowed to ‘beat the forecasts’ at the last Autumn Budget. But how can Britain better the bleak outlook set out by the … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Housing Causes and Consequences: The role of household debt in 21st Century Britain Monday 12 February 2018 The growth in household debt has outpaced growth in household incomes in recent years, putting questions about the causes and consequences of higher debt back in the spotlight. Should we worry that higher debt means that another credit crisis could be brewing? Or is growing household debt instead an indicator of rising consumer confidence? What … Continued READ MORE
Living standards New Year, New Politics: An Attlee settlement for 21st century Britain Tuesday 30 January 2018 January is traditionally a time to take on exciting new challenges, and British politics is no exception. The country faces a number of domestic issues beyond Brexit, from the shape of the public finances and the quality of public services to getting living standards growing again. What domestic policies should the government and opposition focus … Continued READ MORE
Living standards New Year, New Politics: A Conservative programme for economic and social renewal Monday 29 January 2018 January is traditionally a time to take on exciting new challenges, and British politics is no exception. The country faces a number of domestic issues beyond Brexit, from the shape of the public finances and the quality of public services to getting living standards growing again. What domestic policies should the government and opposition focus … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Time for time and a half? Should overtime hours mean premium pay Tuesday 12 December 2017 Matthew Taylor’s government-commissioned Review of Modern Working Practices took a long look at the UK labour market and made many recommendations to raise the quality of work. Central among these was a proposal for a higher minimum wage for non-guaranteed hours. This shone a light on a long-neglected part of UK employment policy – overtime. … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Back to the Future: The outlook for retirement 15 years on from the Pensions Commission Monday 27 November 2017 In the autumn of 2002, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced a Pensions Commission to explore the outlook for pensioner incomes if the system continued unaltered and to make recommendations for improving that outlook. 15 years on, its recommendations – including auto-enrolment into low cost pensions and a more generous but delayed state pension – have become … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Britain’s got talent: how universities can maintain their world-leading reputation Monday 27 November 2017 Book launch for ‘A University Education’ by David Willetts University education is both ancient and modern. While the history of British universities dates back many centuries, today they are at the forefront of a global talent content – seeking to attract the best students from around the world. In his book A University Education, former Universities … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances Indian Summer or Winter Chill: What’s in store for the Autumn Budget? Monday 13 November 2017 The Chancellor is under pressure to deliver a bold Autumn Budget that deals with the big challenges that Britain faces – at home, as well as in Europe. What is the economic backdrop to the Autumn Budget, and how might it affect the Chancellor’s financial wriggle room? From the living standards squeeze and concerns about … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Creditworthy? Making Universal Credit fit for purpose Tuesday 31 October 2017 The scale of change that Universal Credit is bringing to our welfare system means that the rollout was always going to bring to light implementation challenges. These need to be addressed, but we also need to focus on the bigger question of how Universal Credit measures up against the big labour market challenges Britain faces … Continued READ MORE
Labour market What a way to make a living: Creating better jobs for Greater Manchester Wednesday 25 October 2017 Employment is rising in Greater Manchester, but the area faces huge challenges if it wants to catch up with and exceed other major city regions. What type of industries does the area need to boost pay and productivity? What can be done to ensure the local workforce benefit from secure, high quality jobs? What can … Continued READ MORE
Labour market The Great Escape? The chances of escaping low pay in 21st Century Britain Thursday 19 October 2017 Speech by Alan Milburn, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission Britain has among the highest proportion of low paid workers in Europe, despite the welcome introduction and ramping up of the National Living Wage. While long-term low paid work can leave some in working poverty, it is often argued that it provides a route on … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances The trade-offs of trade: What different Brexits mean for prices and living standards Tuesday 17 October 2017 Joint event with the UK Trade Policy Observatory at the University of Sussex As Britain prepares for a future outside the single market and its first bilateral trade agreements in over 40 years, the debate about the shape of our new trade policy has risen up the political agenda. Some suggest retaining as much of … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Party Conferences 2017 Sunday 24 September 2017 Labour Sunday 24 17.30-19.00 Hilton Brighton Metropole, Hall 7 – Tweed The big economy debate: austerity and living standards Lisa Nandy MP Ed Miliband MP Polly Toynbee, The Guardian Paul Johnson, The IFS Torsten Bell (chair) Tuesday 26 12.30-13.30 Hilton Brighton Metropole, Lancaster How can Labour boost living standards across Britain’s cities? Marvin Rees, … Continued READ MORE
Housing· Intergenerational Centre Home affront: the outlook for housing for young people across Britain Wednesday 20 September 2017 In recent decades, housing has gone from being a driver of falling wealth inequality to playing a central role in Britain’s living standards crisis. Across income groups and the generations we see widespread concern about the housing prospects of younger generations. From the cost of housing to its size, quality and proximity to work, how … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances Between a rock and a hard place: 10 years on from Northern Rock Wednesday 13 September 2017 Discussion with former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling Ten years to the day that the financial crisis reached Britain with the news that Northern Rock had requested, and the Bank of England had granted, emergency financial support, the Resolution Foundation is convening key decision makers to reflect on the seismic events that followed and … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Still fees-ible? The future and funding of higher education in England Tuesday 12 September 2017 A controversial policy when introduced in 1998, tuition fees for higher education in England have remained a contentious issue. But the debate about their future and the implications for the quantity and quality of higher education in England has reached new heights in recent months. As new undergraduates arrive at universities in the coming weeks there are big … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Inequality in the UK: speech to the Resolution Foundation by Vince Cable MP, leader of the Liberal Democrats Wednesday 6 September 2017 There is a vast gap between the living standards of the better and least well off in the UK. Under the surface, there are also stark generational and regional divides. Recently widening wealth inequality is now one of the greatest challenges facing the country. Seven decades after the foundation of the welfare state, why are … Continued READ MORE
Living standards City limits: How the UK’s industrial strategy can share living standards gains Monday 10 July 2017 Speech by Business Secretary Greg Clark MP Industrial strategy is back in fashion, at a national and City-region level. And with deep geographic inequalities an unwanted feature of the UK economy, a new focus on tackling these divides is welcome. How can attracting new investment into cities boost living standards? Does the local population benefit … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Minimum entry: Setting a legal wage floor for the gig economy Tuesday 4 July 2017 With Adair Turner, Chairman of the Institute for New Economic Thinking and ex-Chair of the Low Pay Commission The rapid rise of self-employment has been the biggest jobs story of the last decade. For some, it represents the best of our flexible labour market and entrepreneurial spirit. For others, it represents a new way to … Continued READ MORE
Living standards After Piketty: Tackling 21st century inequality at home and abroad Wednesday 28 June 2017 Thomas Piketty’s landmark book Capital in the Twenty-First Century helped bring the issue of what drives inequality from academia to the heart of political and economic debate in the UK, Europe and the US. The book’s lasting impact has been to trigger a range of wider debates about the new age of inequality it identified. But what, … Continued READ MORE
