Net zero· Productivity & industrial strategy Net zeroing in on investment Priorities for the new Government in delivering a fair transition 22 July 2024 by Jonathan Marshall Cutting carbon in the second half of the 2020s is all about investment, but high upfront costs and wider economic woes mean these could be insurmountable for many. This paper outlines priorities to ensure this transition is navigated as fairly as possible. READ MORE
Economy 2030· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Minding the (productivity and income) gaps Decomposing and understanding differences in productivity and income across countries 3 February 2023 by Krishan Shah and Greg Thwaites This week’s round of international economic forecasts (from the IMF, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and Bank of England) has seen a renewed focus on the UK’s relative economic decline. But while gloomy forecasts about the coming years dominate headlines this expected weak economic growth comes on the back of 15 years of the UK … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Firms· Productivity & industrial strategy· Brexit & trade· Cities and regions The Big Brexit An assessment of the scale of change to come from Brexit 22 June 2022 by Swati Dhingra and Emily Fry and Sophie Hale and Ningyuan Jia Leaving the EU represents the largest change in the UK’s relationship with the rest of the world in nearly half a century. It is a profound change in economic governance, that will reorient production away from trade with the EU and towards the domestic market, impacting people, places and firms across the UK. Understanding the … Continued READ MORE
Productivity & industrial strategy· Pay· Economic growth Dead-end relationship? Exploring the link between productivity and workers’ living standards 16 January 2020 by Matthew Whittaker Summary The strength of the relationship between productivity growth and median pay growth – and what it means for the way in which the gains from economic growth are shared across the workforce – has been questioned in recent years, with evidence of a ‘decoupling’ of the two across a number of advanced economies. Such … Continued READ MORE
Productivity & industrial strategy· Pay· Economic growth Follow the money Exploring the link between UK growth and workers’ pay packets 30 August 2019 by Matthew Whittaker This briefing note unpicks the relationship between productivity and pay growth, looking at a variety of factors that influence pay growth for different groups of employees in the UK – from trends in the labour share to terms of trade movements, and from the role of employer pension contributions to the impact of changes in working patterns. READ MORE
Firms· Productivity & industrial strategy· Labour market· Economic growth Sorry, we’re closed: Understanding the impact of retail’s decline on people and places 27 February 2019 by Daniel Tomlinson and Laura Gardiner Headlines about shop closures might give the impression that retail’s decline is a recent phenomenon, but retail’s share of employment has been falling for 15 years. This report digs behind this long-run trend, driven by changes in what we spend and how we spend it, and focuses in on what really matters when it comes to economic change: people and places. READ MORE
Firms· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Is everybody concentrating? Recent trends in product and labour market concentration in the UK 26 July 2018 by Daniel Tomlinson and Torsten Bell This paper analyses trends in product market and labour market concentration in the UK, to see whether (as is the case in the US) larger firms are accounting for a larger share of economic activity today than in years gone by. READ MORE
Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Don’t believe the hype: work, robots, history 14 December 2017 by Michael Weatherburn Technology, and resistance to it, in major economic sectors like warehousing has been around longer than we think. We’ve been talking about the past, present and future of our workplaces well beyond recent memory. Don’t believe the hype: our historical memories are extremely fickle. READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Productivity & industrial strategy· Public spending· Economy and public finances Revised Statement: productivity, prospects and priorities ahead of the Autumn Budget 13 November 2017 by Matthew Whittaker Our look ahead to the 2017 Autumn Budget, focusing on what sort of public finance outlook the Chancellor might be handed and on what is happening in the economy more generally. READ MORE
Firms· Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions· Economic growth A rising tide lifts all boats? Advanced industries and their impact upon living standards 10 July 2017 by Stephen Clarke and Neil Lee Policy makers in Westminster, devolved administrations, cities and local authorities struggle with many of the same challenges. Encouraging economic growth is vital but so too is ensuring the prosperity created is evenly shared. After a long absence, industrial strategy is back on the agenda as a way of providing this inclusive growth. The cornerstone of … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions Forging ahead or falling behind? Devolution and the future of living standards in the Sheffield City Region 19 January 2017 by Stephen Clarke This report outlines some of the key living standards facing the Sheffield City Region. Worryingly the delay to devolution means that local leaders will have fewer powers than their counterparts elsewhere to address these. As a result it is important for the current impasse in the devolution process to be resolved. Assuming that that the shape … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Productivity & industrial strategy· Labour market· Pay Industrial strategies? Exploring responses to the National Living Wage in low-paying sectors 20 December 2016 by Conor D’Arcy This report provides another contribution to evidence on the impact of the National Living Wage to date. READ MORE
Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions Midlands engine trouble: The challenges facing the West Midlands Combined Authority 12 December 2016 by Conor D’Arcy In May 2017, residents of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will go to the polls to elect its first ‘Metro Mayor’. The WMCA – comprising Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton councils – is also at the heart of the government’s wider ‘Midlands Engine’, which aims to boost the economy of this … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions New Order: devolution and the future of living standards in Greater Manchester 29 November 2016 by Stephen Clarke In May 2017 Greater Manchester will go to the polls to elect the region’s first ‘Metro Mayor’. Greater Manchester has been at the forefront of the current programme of devolution and the new mayor will wield more power than any other city leader. However, it will be on the results of how this power is … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions· Economic growth City living: devolution and the living standards challenge 20 October 2016 by Stephen Clarke Significant devolution is planned for Britain’s major city regions. The powers that may soon be devolved are, in terms of recent history if not international comparisons, unprecedented in scope. In May 2017 some cities will elect a region-wide Mayor which will provide fresh political impetus. Furthermore, Theresa May’s new government has signalled her support for … Continued READ MORE
Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Decoupling of Wage Growth and Productivity Growth? Myth and Reality 16 February 2012 by John Van Reenen and João Paulo Pessoa A closer look at the decoupling of wage growth and productivity growth: Pessoa and Van Reenen distinguish between ‘gross’ and ‘net’ decoupling and examine the trends of both in the US and the UK. This report forms part of the Resolution Foundation’s work for its Commission on Living Standards. Visit the Commission’s website www.livingstandards.org to find … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Inequality & poverty· Economic growth Painful Separation 28 October 2011 by Jess Bailey and Joe Coward and Matthew Whittaker Workers are gaining less of the proceeds from economic growth right across the OECD. Painful Separation examines the relationship between economic growth and wages for workers on middle (median) wages over the last 30 years in 10 major OECD countries. READ MORE
