General Election 2024· Public spending· Economy and public finances State crafting Changes and challenges for managing the public finances Wednesday 5 June 2024 Tax and spend are at the heart of every general election – understandably as they represent the most significant choices made by most governments. The size and shape of the state has changed substantially since 2010. Despite spending cuts and tax rises, public debt levels are up. Whoever wins the next election will have to … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Prices & consumption· Macroeconomic policy Inflation scarring How has the cost-of-living crisis changed Britain? Wednesday 22 May 2024 Economies around the world exited the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, and jumped straight into the biggest inflation surge for four decades, with a cost-of-living crisis accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But with inflation finally back close to its target of two per cent, to be confirmed by the ONS on Wednesday 22nd May, now … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Cities and regions Setting a new path to greater, shared prosperity How cities in the North East can help to end economic stagnation Tuesday 21 May 2024 This event was in Newcastle. A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Cities and regions Building a better Britain How cities like Bradford can help to end economic stagnation Thursday 16 May 2024 This event was in Bradford. A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new … 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· Cities and regions Overcoming stagnation A new strategy for economic prosperity in Britain? Thursday 25 April 2024 This event was in Bath. Economic growth in the UK has been sluggish ever since the global financial crisis. More recent large-scale disruptions caused by Brexit and Covid-19 have created additional challenges to growth and the vital public services, institutions, and fiscal measures that underpin it. Productivity and public investment remain low. Meanwhile, stalling wage … Continued READ MORE
Labour market enforcement· Labour market Precarious profits? Why firms use insecure contracts, and what would change their minds Thursday 25 April 2024 Over one-in-ten workers across Britain is employed on some form of precarious contract. The problems with such working arrangements for some workers are well known: they have limited control over their working patterns and insecure incomes too. But why firms use, or even come to rely on them, is rarely discussed and poorly understand. We … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Cities and regions A new Economic Strategy for Britain How can Oxford help drive equitable economic growth? Tuesday 23 April 2024 This event was in Oxford. Economic growth in the UK has been sluggish ever since the global financial crisis. More recent large-scale disruptions caused by Brexit and Covid-19 have created additional challenges to growth and the vital public services, institutions, and fiscal measures that underpin it. Productivity and public investment remain low. Meanwhile, stalling wage … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Prices & consumption· Public spending Powering Britain Can we decarbonise electricity without disadvantaging poorer families? Monday 22 April 2024 The UK’s transition towards a net zero economy requires a complete overhaul of our power sector. We don’t just need electricity generation that has been decarbonised, but a huge amount more of it as we switch away from heating our homes with gas and powering our cars with petrol. This will require a huge step … Continued READ MORE
Universal Credit· Living standards· Welfare In credit? Assessing where Universal Credit’s long rollout has left the benefit system, and Britain Monday 15 April 2024 Universal Credit, announced back in 2010 and introduced in 2013, will be fully rolled out by whoever wins the next election. The benefit has been on a rollercoaster over those years – with the IT underpinning it causing major teething problems, and later success in processing unprecedented numbers of claims during the pandemic. In the … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Housing Building pressure? Rising rents, and what to expect in the future Monday 8 April 2024 The combination of high house prices and stagnating incomes over recent decades, coupled with the decline of social housing, mean that millions more of us are private renters. And they are renting for longer too. Private rents have risen swiftly in the wake of the pandemic. What happens next matters hugely for millions of families, … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Labour market Setting a high bar Celebrating 25 years of the minimum wage, and plotting its next path Wednesday 27 March 2024 The introduction of the minimum wage back in April 1999 was a controversial policy choice, with businesses warning that it would lead to widespread job losses. But 25 years on, it has proved to be a great policy success that has been built on by several governments. Raising the legal wage floor has significantly reduced … Continued READ MORE
Demographics· Living standards Living life to the full How can we make our longer lives healthier, happier and more productive? Thursday 21 March 2024 Book launch for The Longevity Imperative by Professor Andrew J Scott Britain, along with many other countries, is getting older and living longer. This demographic shift has huge health, economic and societal impacts, but too often the debate is limited to the fiscal costs of an ageing society, and pressures on the NHS. Instead we … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Cities and regions Boosting prosperity across Britain How cities like Bristol can help to end economic stagnation Thursday 7 March 2024 This event was in Bristol. A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis, and England’s biggest cities beyond London all have productivity levels below the national average. … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Economy and public finances Game changer? Assessing the Budget’s economic, and electoral, impact Thursday 7 March 2024 The upcoming Spring Budget may be the last big fiscal event before the General Election, one of few chances for the government to set the terms of the economic debate. And with the government trailing heavily in the polls, and the economy entering a mild recession at the end of last year, the pressure is … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Cities and regions Ending stagnation The role of cities like Nottingham in boosting economic prosperity across Britain Thursday 29 February 2024 This event was in Nottingham. A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new … Continued READ MORE
Working in the think tank sector Webinar for those interested in working in the sector Wednesday 28 February 2024 Think tanks are research organisations that develop ideas and suggestions for action on a whole range of subjects affecting society. Using research, analysis and commentary, we aim to inform and influence politicians, policy makers and the public. Given the economic, social and political issues facing the UK, ensuring the world of research and policy-making is … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Skills· Social mobility· Wellbeing and mental health Healthy starts How mental ill-health shapes the education and economic prospects of young people Monday 26 February 2024 The rising prevalence of mental health problems among young people over recent decades is becoming increasingly concerning. While evidently distressing for the young people and their families, periods of poor mental health can also have significant detrimental impacts on their education and job prospects. Increasing support provided in schools and universities has gone some way … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public spending· Economy and public finances· Political parties and elections Tax cuts today, spending cuts tomorrow? How the Budget might shape the General Election and beyond Wednesday 21 February 2024 An election is coming, and therefore so are tax cuts in the Budget on 6th March. But the size of those tax cuts are dependent on the amount of fiscal room for manoeuvre the Chancellor has. And their shape will reflect where his political and economic priorities lie. Plus tax cuts come in a context … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Prices & consumption· Brexit & trade Trading standards How exposure to global trade shapes our living standards Monday 19 February 2024 Britain is an open economy, and has become more open over recent decades – despite the impact of Brexit and ‘slowbalisation’. But the quantity and type of goods and services we trade isn’t the only thing that has shifted. So has what we consume and where we work. All of these shifts affect our exposure … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Pensions & savings Saving for today. And tomorrow. How to boost households financial resilience now, and living standards in retirement Monday 12 February 2024 British households aren’t saving enough. Pensions auto-enrolment has got far more of us saving for retirement, but too many of us are not on track for a comfortable old age. More immediately, too few of us have access to rainy-day pots to help us through an unexpected shock. Traditional approaches to encourage people to build … Continued READ MORE
Demographics· Intergenerational Centre· Political parties and elections New age or age-old appeal How different generations view the parties and issues that will determine the General Election Wednesday 7 February 2024 In recent decades age has replaced class as one of the key determinants of a voter’s values and voting behaviour. But these trends never sit still, especially as issues – from Europe to the environment, and the economy – rise and fall in terms of their electoral salience. We know that the next election will … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Economy and public finances· Political parties and elections Turning a corner? The political and economic outlook for a critical election year Monday 8 January 2024 The worst of the cost of living crisis appears to be behind us, with inflation more than halving since its peak. But 2024 may not be plain sailing economically, and it certainly won’t be politically with an election in store. While wages are at last growing faster than prices, economic growth has flatlined while taxes, … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Incomes· Prices & consumption Rising rents and rebounding wages Where is Britain’s cost-of-living crisis heading? Thursday 14 December 2023 Inflation is down, but Britain’s cost-of-living crisis is still very much with us. The legacy of previous price rises for energy and food are now combining with a new pressure: housing. Private rents are rising at their fastest rate in over a decade, while the impact of higher interest rates is still feeding through into … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Economy 2030· Living standards· Demographics· Firms· 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
