Labour market· Inequality & poverty Unfair treatment Assessing the scale of workplace discrimination, and efforts to stamp it out Tuesday 8 November 2022 Anti-discrimination laws have been with us since the 1960s, but despite this discrimination against workers based on protected characteristics such as race, gender and disability remains prevalent in many workplaces today. This can affect who gets which job, and means the world of work feels very different for different people. And while there are routes … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public spending· Economy and public finances Under new management Where will the new Prime Minister steer the UK economy? Tuesday 1 November 2022 Britain is in the midst of a political and economic crisis, with four Chancellors and three Prime Ministers in four months. And with the latest political turmoil triggered by attempts to completely rewrite economic policy, the new Prime Minister is under intense pressure to demonstrate his economic credibility, calm the markets and reduce the pressure … Continued READ MORE
Demographics· Macroeconomic policy Demographic destiny? How age, race, gender and class shape our economy Monday 17 October 2022 People’s characteristics can shape many aspects of their lives, including their economic lives – from where they shop and live, the assets they hold – and the jobs they do. These impacts filter through to the shape of a country’s economy – with knock-on effects for government spending, interest rates, wealth and longer-term growth. Attempts to achieve widely shared … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions Stagnation Nation The role of Greater Manchester in renewing the UK’s economic strategy for the 2020s Wednesday 12 October 2022 A joint event with Resolution Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authority 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. But it is doing that against a backdrop of low growth … Continued READ MORE
Demographics· Political parties and elections The Generation Strain How can a Conservative Government offer a brighter economic future for young and old? Sunday 2 October 2022 Resolution Foundation fringe event at Conservative Party Conference 2022. The pandemic triggered an exodus of older workers from the labour market, while the economic stagnation that Liz Truss has vowed to address has meant that eight million young people in Britain today have never experienced a period sustained rising wages. We will discuss how both young … 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
Political parties and elections The Big Economy Debate How Can Britain Tackle The Cost-of-Living Crisis And Build A Better Future? Monday 26 September 2022 Resolution Foundation fringe event at Labour Party Conference 2022. This event is sponsored by Natwest. Britain is braced for an acute cost of living crisis facing households and business this winter, and the squeeze is set to continue to well into next year. This latest squeeze is set against a broader backdrop of low growth … Continued READ MORE
Political parties and elections Stagnation Nation Tackling The UK’s Toxic Combination Of Low Growth And High Inequality Sunday 25 September 2022 Resolution Foundation fringe event at Labour Party Conference 2022. The UK is set for a decade of profound economic change – from the impact and aftermaths of the Covid-19 and energy bills crises, to navigating a new future outside the EU and urgently transitioning towards a low carbon economy. How might economic change play out over … 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
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· Low pay· Labour market 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
