Winning the crap trains Olympics Top of the Charts 13 December 2024 Morning all, The year certainly appears to be hurrying to its close, with the sun setting – by my reckoning – at about 10.30am through most of this week. We’ve got a couple of treats in store for you, dear readers, in our upcoming editions. I hope you are sharpening your quiz pencils. Until then, … Continued READ MORE
A good job, a roof over your head, a happy marriage – and plenty of chips and candles Top of the Charts 6 December 2024 Afternoon all, This week saw some good news for the children of Scotland. The SNP-led Government in Holyrood announced on Wednesday that they have proposed scrapping the two-child limit on benefits north of the border. It’s a decision that will lift 28,000 children in Scotland out of poverty by the end of the decade. We … Continued READ MORE
Looking forward to tax cuts, backward to better schools, and upward to Croydon Top of the charts 29 November 2024 Morning all, If you wanted Westminster to start winding down the drama for Christmas, you’ll have to wait a little longer. This week saw the resignation of a Cabinet Member, the revelation at the CBI conference that businesses don’t want to stump up more for public services, and proposed legislation to Get Britain Working (which points in … Continued READ MORE
From opportunity hoarding to cheese hoarding Top of the charts 22 November 2024 Morning all, Disgruntled farmers are still in the news this week. On the same day that Barbour jackets and Hunter wellies overran SW1, I was speaking on ‘Why Should Economists Care About Equality of Opportunity?’. One of the other speakers used the delightful phrase “opportunity hoarding”… We’ll let you decide how apposite that was. Lots of … Continued READ MORE
Megafunds, misogynistic dating apps and mad picks across the pond Top of the charts 15 November 2024 Afternoon all, This week saw a bittersweet moment at RF Towers. We launched our exciting ‘Unsung Britain’ project, hosted by Executive Chair Gavin Kelly for the final time as he’s bowing out after nearly 15 years at the Foundation (he’s off to run the Nuffield Foundation – great hire! unlike below…). Catch up on the event, and read the … Continued READ MORE
Caring robots, curing cancer and the long-road to democracy Top of the charts 8 November 2024 Afternoon all, Well, that will certainly be a 5th of November to remember (and I don’t mean me talking all-things-Budget with the Treasury Select Committee). We’ve decided to take the long view on American democracy for Chart of the Week, but our award for Best Election Chart has to go to John Burn-Murdoch (who else – don’t … Continued READ MORE
Big Budget breakdown Top of the charts 1 November 2024 Afternoon all, and happy Budget week to those who observe… This whole TOTC thing looks like fun (apart from anything, that strikethrough shortcut Torsten showed me will finally come in handy be massively overused). Although, I’m not sure how I feel about getting my hands on it the week I’ve decided to go without sleep… So there’s … Continued READ MORE
Toxic fumes, promotion barriers and gaping gaps in economic research Top of the charts 25 October 2024 Morning all, We thought we’d do something a little different this week, with a special edition for Black History Month. When the question of what historical colonisers owe to the historically colonised has come to the fore, it is important to take a step back and consider the forces and the inheritances which shape our lives. Big thanks … Continued READ MORE
The need to take tough Budget calls and take away teenagers’ phones Top of the Charts 18 October 2024 Morning all, Another week, another row – this time over whether raising employer National Insurance (NI) would breach the Government’s manifesto. This is a silly row – levying NI on employer’s pension contributions (as we’ve proposed) clearly isn’t a breach, and even raising employer NI is not a direct ‘tax on working people’. It’s also … Continued READ MORE
Class-angst for the yanks while the robots come for the Resolution Foundation Top of the charts 11 October 2024 Morning all, Parliament was back with a bang this week, as we saw the publication of the most significant legislation improving workers rights in a generation (more on that below). Plus, we’ve inched closer to confirming the leader of the opposition, and every day brings us more fevered Budget speculation. We’ll be discussing the opportunities … Continued READ MORE
The perils of parental leave and the de-growth doldrums Top of the charts 4 October 2024 Morning all, After a brief respite from the daily machinations of the Commons, parliament will return next week. You know what that means – 26 sleeps till Budget day! Which also means it’s only 26 sleeps until our post-budget event for the valiant members of the RF research team who will be up all night … Continued READ MORE
The real value of Britain’s roads, railways and office gossips Top of the charts 27 September 2024 Morning all, It’s been a big week for rain, and thus for those who enjoy complaining about the rain. In selfish news, there was too much river for my kayaking course to go ahead – I can’t believe the organisers didn’t let us take advantage of Bedfordshire’s newest water feature – the A421. I encourage those miffed … Continued READ MORE
Shy toffs, trusting tweets and London rising from the flames Top of the charts 20 September 2024 Morning all, An eerie calm will descend over RF towers over the next couple of weeks as politicians up sticks and decamp to their respective conferences. Honourable mention to the Lib Dems, who should have already slept off their hangovers. I’ll be manning the fort in SW1, but we’ll be hosting conversations at both the Labour and … Continued READ MORE
Fiscal flies and spiders, and discounting the pennies Top of the Charts 13 September 2024 Afternoon all, This week marks a truly momentous moment in the British policy landscape. What do you mean you haven’t noticed? In this moment, your inbox contains no less than the three-hundredth edition of Top of the Charts. A lot has changed since TOTC first started rolling off the RF assembly line in the halcyon … Continued READ MORE
Fluctuating working hours, and the falling quality of CEOs Top of the charts 6 September 2024 Morning all, Well, the new parliamentary session has certainly delivered a serious dose of reality after August’s silly season – and I expect both the stark conclusions of the Grenfell Inquiry and the political row over Winter Fuel Payments are likely to keep rattling around for a while to come. Keep an eye out for … Continued READ MORE
Awful ads, AI at work, and what Donald does for fertility 30 August 2024 Afternoon all, It’s time to steel yourself for the end of recess, the return to politics, and the slow run in to what will be a deeply consequential budget. But not just yet. Distract yourself from the imminent hubbub with our mixed bag of reads – ranging from the irritation of online advertising, to the … Continued READ MORE
The tortured economists department Top of the charts 23 August 2024 Morning all, If the sheer quantity of OoO emails I’ve received this week is any indication, the dog days of summer are in full swing. I think I just spotted an actual tumble weed rolling through the RF offices… But, fear not: this is just the calm before the end-of-recess, and those of us still in RF … Continued READ MORE
Fewer days vs fewer hours, the importance of watercoolers, and the true Olympic Champions 16 August 2024 Morning all, Well, from a living standards perspective, this week’s economic data has been confusing. Slower wage growth doesn’t sound great for workers, but it’s probably a good thing if it lets the Bank of England cut interest rates. Rising inflation also seems bad, but it rose by less than expected – and services inflation … Continued READ MORE
Peeved Reeves and the health benefits of beers Top of the charts 2 August 2024 Morning all, Well, after the friendly détente of the opening of parliament last week, politics came roaring back on Monday with the Chancellor’s review of her spending inheritance (tl;dr: she was distinctly unimpressed with her predecessor). Just in time for parliamentary recess! James, one of our Research Directors, has everything you need to know about … Continued READ MORE
Losing to the French, snitching on a Colombian, and dreaming of Rome Top of the charts 26 July 2024 Morning all, If last week was all about the ONS’s data releases, this week the National Audit Office was centre stage. A stream of (mostly) damning reports into the state of public services were published this week. That’s where all the headlines you’ve been seeing about the state of HS2, the NHS, homelessness and potholes have come from. … Continued READ MORE
Pondering polls, worrying about wages and considering class Top of the charts 19 July 2024 Morning all, This week has been full of ups and downs. The football was coming home, then it didn’t. The weather was miserable, then we got a surprise heat wave. A King’s speech in July? It feels like we’re about to go back to school for the new year, not hurtling towards parliamentary recess and … Continued READ MORE
General Election 2024· Economic growth Time to hit the ground running Top of the Charts 12 July 2024 Morning all, We’re now a week into a seismic political shift in UK politics, with Labour returning to office for the first time in 14 years. This is a Parliament that’s more new than old – 335 of the 650 MPs sworn in this week have never been one before. It’s also more representative than … Continued READ MORE
General Election 2024 Have you been paying attention? How Brits have engaged with the general election campaign Top of the charts 28 June 2024 Morning all, Has anyone else noticed the difference between this election campaign and the parliament that preceded it? When they write the history books, I am confident they will describe the 2019–2024 parliament as nuts. We left the European Union, suffered the biggest pandemic in a century, saw the biggest war on European soil since … Continued READ MORE
Busting dance moves and wishing back bad weather Top of the charts 21 June 2024 Morning all, Let’s face it, there’s been some pretty disappointing performances during the election campaign. But the weather at least has finally stepped up to the plate to provide an appropriate backdrop to the SUMMER election. Still, it always pays to have a brolly at hand. While the sun is still out the summer vibes … Continued READ MORE
The economic battle lines in the manifestos Top of the Charts 14 June 2024 Afternoon all, And breathe. The manifestos are out; the serious wonk business can begin. If you have digested the fine detail of the parties’ manifestos – good for you. If you haven’t, then I am shocked and appalled by this dereliction of your democratic duty. Luckily for you, we have. So today’s TOTC special on the … Continued READ MORE