Living standards· Globalisation· Intergenerational Centre “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” – UK generational trends in an international context 19 February 2018 by Daniel Tomlinson and Fahmida Rahman Joni Mitchell’s lyrics may refer to her first trip to Hawaii, but they could just as easily apply to UK trends in generational living standards that the Resolution Foundation’s Intergenerational Commission has uncovered. That’s particularly so in light of new analysis comparing these trends internationally. While there are huge living standards differences between high-income countries, … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Labour market· Globalisation Jobs, the rise of Trump and the dangers of fatalism 23 January 2017 by Torsten Bell Even for those not based in the US, it’s been hard to avoid a long weekend of an inauguration, marches, facts and alternative facts. But today Donald Trump settles into “his first business day” (for those counting there’s at least a little over 1,000 of those to come), and jobs are top of his agenda. … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Globalisation Four decades of discontent Trumps a strong 2015 for US jobs and pay in the race to the White House 9 November 2016 by Torsten Bell Election post-mortems are dangerous things. Nearly as dangerous as elections themselves for the mental well-being of those involved. The biggest danger follows election results that few predicted – where immediate post-mortems suddenly involve people seeing with total clarity why the unexpected was always on the cards. So let’s start with some humility about what we … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Globalisation· Economic growth Elephants, globalisation, and why we shouldn’t let domestic policy makers off the hook on living standards 13 September 2016 by Torsten Bell From political rallies to university seminars, it is becoming fashionable to say that globalisation has led to stagnant living standards for working and middle classes of the developed world, leaving national governments powerless to deliver rising incomes and explaining rising political dissatisfaction with the status quo. But these are dangerous words in such simple form, … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Economic growth· Globalisation Blind men and the elephant: what does the elephant curve really tell us about rich countries? 13 September 2016 by Adam Corlett There is an Asian parable about a group of blind men and an elephant. The men try to determine by touch what the elephant is like, but each touches a different part of the great creature – a leg, the trunk, an ear… – and so each comes to a different conclusion. In contrast, commentary on … Continued READ MORE
Jobs· Labour market· Globalisation Why Britain is no longer in America’s shadow on employment 5 June 2015 by Adam Corlett The US approach to working-age welfare may come in for criticism in some quarters for failing to offer much support to those who fall out of work, but at least it delivers strong employment outcomes. Not like in the UK of course. While not quite as generous as some of our European neighbours, out-of-work welfare … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Labour market· Globalisation The View That Britain Should Be Learning Lessons From the US Labour Market Is Long Past Its Sell-By Date 5 June 2015 by Gavin Kelly Political debates about key policy challenges often tend to idealise – and bastardise – the experience of other countries. Whether it is Finnish schools, Swedish childcare, German vocational training, Danish ‘flexicurity’, Israeli entrepreneurship or Dutch pensions, there are places that we are supposed to look to for inspiration. Usually these views are rooted in some … Continued READ MORE
