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

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

Inventing a better Britain

How does R&D fit into a new UK economic strategy?

Wednesday 15 November 2023

Low productivity is the foundational cause of Britain’s recent economic malaise, and raising it is a top priority for policy makers. Public and private investment in research and development is a key route to boosting productivity and future economic growth. But businesses often complain that policy makers are failing to create an environment that encourages … Continued

Creaking at the seams

Can we bring Britain’s trains, drains and mains into the 21st Century?

Wednesday 1 November 2023

Britain faces a simply huge infrastructure challenge. As well as decarbonising our homes, we need to modernise our water, energy and transport networks, replacing basic infrastructure that often dates back to the Victorian era. Achieving this is likely to require major investment, regulatory reform and new institutions to drive forward change, as well as a … Continued

More change please

Why Britain needs a more dynamic economy

Monday 25 September 2023

Change is accelerating, or so we are told. But while the world is changing, it’s far less clear that Britain’s economy is. In fact we’re seeing less industrial change, as some sectors grow and others shrink, than has been the case for decades. Fewer workers are moving jobs. This matters because, while many of us … Continued

Risk reduction

Can earnings insurance underpin a more dynamic jobs market and a more productive economy?

Thursday 21 September 2023

Losing your job in Britain can be a very expensive business. Low and flat rate benefits leave many workers facing huge income falls if they face a period out of work. This gives them a strong incentive to take a new job quickly – but not necessarily the best fit for their talents. And it … Continued

An investment nation

Can Britain shift from living off its past to investing in its future?

Thursday 22 June 2023

Britain is in relative decline, as productivity and wages stagnate. This reflects a decade of shocks but also a longer lasting problem – Britain has spent recent decades living off its past rather than investing in its future. In both public and private investment the UK consistently lags behind its international peers, leaving British workers … Continued

Shaping the next revolution

How can we ensure that technological change boosts our national prosperity?

Wednesday 24 May 2023

Technological innovations – from new agricultural machinery to industrialisation and the invention of the computer – have powered economic progress over the past 1,000 years. But technological leaps do not automatically lead to living standards improvements, and can instead cause economic disruption and pose threats to workers. As we stand on the precipice of a … Continued

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

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

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

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

Powering ahead

Raising our productivity game post-pandemic

Wednesday 26 May 2021

The period between the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic has been marked by chronically weak productivity across many advanced economies. In the UK that has seen weak pay growth and stagnant living standards. The Covid recovery offers an opportunity to reset this dismal productivity record, but how should policy makers do this? In … Continued

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