Living standards A bleak midwinter? The cost-of-living crisis facing Britain and its new Prime Minister Thursday 1 September 2022 Britain is in the midst of a painful cost-of-living squeeze, with double digit inflation prompting the biggest fall in real wages since the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. And the crisis will get far worse in the coming months as inflation continues to rise, energy bills soar, and rising interest rates are felt in higher … Continued READ MORE
Household debt· Pensions & savings· Wealth & assets Whose wealth boom? Assessing the UK’s changing wealth gaps Wednesday 20 July 2022 Britain has experienced a wealth surge in recent decades even as household incomes have stagnated. Wealth really matters in both good times and tough times – from young families buying their first home, to drawing on savings in the face of rising energy bills. But not everyone has shared in Britain’s wealth boom, and understanding … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Macroeconomic policy Monetary policy in troubled times and beyond Valedictory speech by MPC Member Michael Saunders Monday 18 July 2022 Having taken more of a backseat in the economic policy response to the pandemic, monetary policy is back centre stage as central banks around the world grapple with the highest inflation many countries have seen in generations. Monetary policy makers are having to make crucial judgements over the pace and scale of interest rates rises … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Economy 2030· 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· Labour market· Pay Power, pay and profits What do shifts in firm and worker power mean for wages? Thursday 7 July 2022 Firms create value – at least the successful ones do. But who benefits, the firm’s owners or workers, and by how much, is often up for grabs. That’s why power in our labour market matters. It doesn’t just affect the level of wages, but the inequality of those wages too. The power of workers – … Continued READ MORE
Intergenerational Centre Boomers, snowflakes and avocado on toast Are generational stereotypes harming our futures? Wednesday 6 July 2022 Connecting Generations Thought Leader Talk | Professor Bobby Duffy, King’s College London Are Baby Boomers stealing their children’s futures? Are Millennials really entitled ‘snowflakes’? Are Generation X the saddest generation? Will Generation Z fix the climate crisis? Are any of these labels and assigned characteristics helpful? Or are they damaging our ability to bring generations … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Inequality & poverty The long view of living standards What drives income growth and inequality in modern Britain? Monday 4 July 2022 Britain is in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis that is squeezing the incomes of households across the country. That crisis is particularly challenging because it comes against a backdrop of low-income growth and high inequality. Turning these worrying trends around is a key task for the 2020s, with history providing an important guide to … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Productivity & industrial strategy Mind the gap (part II) What drives productivity gaps across the UK? Thursday 30 June 2022 People’s incomes are fundamental to their living standards, and productivity is fundamental to those incomes. But Britain is beset by big productivity gaps – between North and South, and between metro and non-metro areas. Understanding what has driven these gaps and how they’ve changed over time is critical for an economic strategy that successfully tackles … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Incomes Mind the gap (part I) How do people’s incomes differ across the UK? Monday 27 June 2022 People’s incomes are fundamental to their living standards, and closing regional income gaps is central to levelling up the UK. But there are many moving parts to household incomes, they play very different roles across the country, and there are big gaps in what official statistics tell us about this crucial question. An economic strategy … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Brexit & trade Brexit Britain Assessing the impact of Brexit on people, places and firms Wednesday 22 June 2022 The British economy has altered substantially since the Brexit referendum result, as firms and workers have seen changes to investment and wages respectively. But the longer lasting impacts of Brexit on our economy are ahead, not behind us as our economy goes through the process of adjusting to life outside the single market. Some sectors … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Economy 2030 The net zero job How will decarbonisation affect the world of work? Monday 20 June 2022 The net zero transition has changed debates about the future of the labour market, with new jobs – like wind energy engineering – growing year-on-year and worries about rapid declines in carbon-intensive industries like steel production. But the main effect of the net zero transition will be to change our jobs, as firms adapt to … Continued READ MORE
Demographics· Labour market The new NEETs? Understanding the changing nature of youth worklessness Monday 13 June 2022 High levels of young people not in employment, education or training was a major social and economic concern in the 1990s. Decades of concerted policy action to reduce numbers across Britain has seen the scale of the problem shrink, but it has not gone away. Under the positive headlines, some forms of worklessness are on … 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 Chatting to Chancellors Book launch for The Chancellors by Howard Davies, featuring former Chancellor George Osborne Monday 30 May 2022 The nature of British economic policy, and the Treasury’s role in directing it, have ebbed and flowed over the past 25 years. Monetary policy was ceded to the Bank of England in 1997, but the Treasury then extended its grip over domestic policy. The last decade has seen it respond to two once-in-a-lifetime economic crises, … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Labour market· Low pay Raising the bar What are the new frontiers for tackling low pay? Wednesday 25 May 2022 Over the past two decades, Britain’s low pay landscape has been transformed by the introduction and ramping up of the national minimum wage. This has been an unqualified policy success, so much so that the government is on course to eliminate hourly low pay this decade. With that landmark moment in sight, policy makers will … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Net zero· Firms· Productivity & industrial strategy Green growth: miracle or mirage? How might cutting down carbon give the UK economy a cutting-edge? Monday 23 May 2022 The UK’s net zero transition represents a major challenge for the UK, but also a major opportunity if we get it right. Many argue it could see the UK utilising its existing economic strengths to lead the way in cutting edge clean technology – creating jobs and new export opportunities. But with other countries holding … Continued READ MORE
Ventures· Labour market· Skills From platforms to promotions How technology can boost young people’s career prospects Wednesday 18 May 2022 The way young people enter the job market from education can have a marked effect on their future prospects. Economic crises are a particularly tough time to start a career, and while the Job Retention Scheme prevented mass unemployment during the pandemic, young people still face huge challenges in terms of rising insecurity and finding … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Incomes· Prices & consumption· Wellbeing and mental health Whose economy? Exploring people’s experiences as workers, consumers and citizens Wednesday 11 May 2022 We all experience the economy in a myriad of different ways – from the jobs we do, to the things we buy and the communities we live in. The good, the bad and the ugly of those experiences are important considerations, not just for individual economic policy decisions, but in setting the objectives of our … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Macroeconomic policy Taking the right path Where does monetary policy go in a low rate, high inflation, unstable economic environment? Monday 9 May 2022 The Resolution Foundation and the Money, Macro and Finance Society are co-hosting a new series of events to dive into the big economic challenges we face as we recover from the pandemic and come to terms with the new world we now face. Internationally renowned economists and policymakers will discuss those challenges – from the … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030 Advantage Britain? Understanding the country’s economic strengths Thursday 28 April 2022 Policy makers often focus on addressing a country’s economic weaknesses. But understanding Britain’s current, or likely future, economic strengths is equally important if our recent relative economic decline is to be put into reverse. Failing to recognise those strengths, or even actively disparaging them, undermines our prosperity but also risks us ignoring the specific challenges … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Macroeconomic policy From Covid to conflict New economic policy challenges for an uncertain world Thursday 28 April 2022 Register to attend in person or receive access link for remote viewers. The worst of the Covid-19 pandemic may be behind us. But new challenges have emerged. From rising inflation squeezing incomes across the world, to the biggest conflict in Europe since WWII, the economic landscape facing policy makers is as daunting as ever. How … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Macroeconomic policy Together we stand, divided we fall? Is multilateral policy making equipped for the global economic challenges we face? Thursday 28 April 2022 The Resolution Foundation and the Money, Macro and Finance Society are co-hosting a new series of events to dive into the big economic challenges we face as we recover from the pandemic and come to terms with the new world we now face. Internationally renowned economists and policymakers will discuss those challenges – from the … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public spending· Economy and public finances Waiting for spring Assessing the Chancellor’s Spring Statement Thursday 24 March 2022 Britain entered 2022 with a recovery resilient to Omicron and tax revenues coming in billions higher than expected. But good news on the public finances has been matched by troubling news for family finances as inflation soared and living standards have been squeezed. The conflict in Ukraine has further clouded the UK’s economic outlook, as … 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
Living standards· Labour market· Economy and public finances Catch 2022 What does the end of a global pandemic and the start of a European conflict mean for Britain’s economic outlook? Monday 14 March 2022 The end of the Covid economic crisis is finally in sight. But it has swiftly been replaced by a terrifying conflict in Europe that threatens lives in Ukraine and livelihoods far beyond its borders. The UK’s immediate post-Covid economy thankfully doesn’t include the lengthy dole queues that normally follow a recession. But it instead faces … Continued READ MORE
