Incomes The economic fallout from war in the Middle East Part I Tackling the cost of living crunch Monday 13 April 2026 Although the eventual impact of the escalating war in the Middle East is unknowable, the increase in the price of oil and gas means we already know energy and petrol costs are set to rise. Knock on effects will hit food prices and wider inflation, not to mention the second-round effects on wage negotiations, interest rates, debt-servicing costs and wider economic growth. The Resolution Foundation is hosting a pair of events in April to unpack what the effects of the war are on the UK economy, and how policy makers should respond. READ MORE
Incomes· Mobility Social immobility scars The persistence of earnings gaps facing graduates from lower-income families Tuesday 24 March 2026 Britain has long seen lower intergenerational social mobility than many of its peers, with those from lower-income backgrounds receiving lower earnings as adults than those from average backgrounds. University is often seen as the ticket out of this social mobility trap, but is this true? Unpacking the factors driving persistent pay penalties for young people based on their background is vital if we’re to lift living standards for those from lower-income backgrounds. READ MORE
Incomes· Net zero Net zero farming How can we kick-start the net zero transition in farming without making the cost of living crisis worse? Tuesday 3 February 2026 The UK has made good progress towards net zero in recent decades. But the agriculture sector stands out as having made barely any progress. To meet our legally-binding climate targets, agriculture and land use will need to decarbonise seven times quicker this decade than in the past 15 years. Fundamental changes to how we make food and use land will be needed. But decarbonisation in this area is hard and any efforts will need to overcome considerable political and living standards barriers to reform. READ MORE
Incomes· Public finances Growing pains? What’s in store for UK politics, economics and living standards in 2026 Thursday 8 January 2026 2025 was a bumper year for growth – in political and economic upheaval rather than GDP. Local elections accelerated Britain’s move from a two to five party system, while economists were treated to three major fiscal events and a full year of speculation surrounding them. The Government will hope the upheaval is dialled down in 2026, while its opponents will aim for the opposite. And what Britain really needs is a return to stronger economic growth to deliver rising living standards. READ MORE
Health and disability· Incomes· Work Seeking a NEET solution Why are so many young people not learning or earning? Tuesday 21 October 2025 The number of 16-24 year olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) is increasing, and drawing more political focus. Policy makers are right to worry about this major living standards concern – not earning or learning in early adulthood can stunt careers and earning potential for many years into the future. But if we’re to help NEETs we need to understand who they are and why they’re NEET, so that solutions are based on actual rather than imagined problems. READ MORE
Prices & consumption· Incomes Explaining the consumption gap Keynote speech by External MPC member Dr. Catherine L. Mann Thursday 9 October 2025 Register to attend in person or to receive an access link for online viewers. In recent years, UK households have faced a number of economic challenges, contributing to subdued growth and increased living costs. These pressures have been particularly noticeable during the period of elevated inflation following the pandemic, and higher interest rates in response. … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Social security· Unsung Britain From healthcare to carers’ care How disabilities and caring responsibilities impact the lives of lower-income Britain Thursday 17 July 2025 The rising prevalence of ill-health and disability across Britain has been under the spotlight recently; not least the implications for the country’s benefits bill. But the impact on those who are ill or disabled, and the family members who care for them, has been less discussed. Disability and the caring needs that can come with it already disproportionately affect the poorer half of Britain, and many of these families face a severe income penalty as a result. READ MORE
Prices & consumption· Incomes· Unsung Britain The price is tight How are the cost of essentials affecting low-to-middle-income families across Britain? Monday 30 June 2025 Disposable incomes have been squeezed in recent decades – especially for poorer households. And in recent years the cost of living crisis has hit the cost of essentials particularly hard – affecting how much families have left over for the more fun things in life. The cost of essentials therefore matters for families, the wider economy, and policy makers who want to ease the pressure on household budgets. READ MORE
Incomes Stormy clouds or brighter horizons? The UK’s uncertain outlook for living standards Thursday 26 June 2025 The effects of Covid-19 and double-digit inflation may have faded, but the cost of living remains a top concern for families. Recent tax increases, coupled with rising utility bills and housing costs, are adding to the pressures that households face. The jobs market is loosening with unemployment rising and real-pay rises shrinking. And these domestic pressures sit aside global economic uncertainty that will inevitably impact families at home. READ MORE
Incomes· Cities and regions The pay postcode lottery What is driving Britain’s place-based wage divides? Monday 23 June 2025 Britain is racked by pay divides – on gender, race, age and education status. But one of its starkest inequalities centres on geography, which is far more complex than Londoners earning more than everyone else. But while regional pay inequality is widely discussed, what drives these divides is less well understood. And that really matters if we’re to tackle these inequalities. READ MORE
Incomes· Net zero Turning up the heat How to quicken Britain’s heat pumps roll-out and hit our net zero targets Thursday 10 April 2025 Our homes are now the second biggest contributor the UK’s carbon footprint, and efforts to address this rely on the widespread replacement of gas boilers with electric heat pumps. But the rollout of heat pumps is slow and behind schedule, despite generous grants on offer, and particularly so among low-to-middle income families and those living in urban areas. Home heating is one of the most visible parts of the net zero transition to households, and a policy shift is required to get more fitted into homes and ensure that all families ultimately benefit via lower energy bills. But these shifts are neither free, nor straightforward. READ MORE
Incomes· Work· Living Wage Minimum wage, maximum pressure Assessing short-term impacts and long-term plans for the UK’s wage floor Monday 31 March 2025 The minimum wage has been a big success story since its introduction in 1998 – but 2025 might be its trickiest year yet. The combination of increases to employer National Insurance and a bigger-than-expected 6.7 per cent rise in the National Living Wage has left businesses warning of jobs cuts and hiring freezes. Such warnings haven’t come to pass in the past, but with the jobs market already in recession territory, might this year be different? It is amidst this uncertainty and challenging backdrop that the Government will need set out a longer-term plan for the minimum wage. READ MORE
Incomes· Work Unpredictable earnings The volatility of pay packets and its impact on living standards Tuesday 4 March 2025 Most people are used to receiving regular monthly pay cheques, hopefully with the occasional bonus and an annual rise. But while this is often taken for granted, for other workers the size and timing of their pay cheques are far more volatile – with knock on effects on their ability to pay bills, save, plan ahead and smooth their living standards over time. But with Brits notoriously adverse to talking about pay, the scale of earnings volatility across the country is unknown. READ MORE
Incomes· Inequality & poverty Tackling the scourge of modern Britain The policies and investment needed to reduce child poverty Wednesday 26 February 2025 The new Government is currently preparing a child poverty strategy, and hoping to emulate the success of the last Labour government, which lifted over half a million children out of poverty over its first five years. This ambition is needed too, because unless action is taken, poverty rates are expected to rise over the course of the parliament. But Britain in the mid-2020s is very different to the late-1990s – a new approach will be needed to lift children out of poverty over the next decade. READ MORE
Incomes· Unsung Britain Unsung Britain Understanding the stresses and strains of low-to-middle income families across the country Wednesday 13 November 2024 There are around 13 million low-to-middle income families across Britain today. This diverse group of families are at the heart of the country’s economic prospects, and any government’s political mandate. And yet they are poorly understood – who they are, how their lives have changed, and the stresses and strains they are under. In order to better understand low-to-middle income Britain, the Resolution Foundation is launching a new 12-month project – with support from JPMorganChase – which will also investigate what can be done to boost their living standards. READ MORE
Incomes· Savings & debt Living standards in later life Are auto-enrolled workers saving enough for their retirement? Thursday 10 October 2024 One of the key goals of the Pensions Commission, published almost two decades ago, was to reform pension saving so that more people were encouraged to save enough for a decent income in retirement. The main policy recommendation of the Commission – auto-enrolment – has been rolled out and ramped up since then, and in … Continued READ MORE
Incomes A brighter shade of grey? The current outlook for living standards Thursday 29 August 2024 Register to attend in person or to receive an access link for online viewers. The last Parliament was truly awful for growth in household living standards. The combination of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis left the country on course for the worst parliament for disposable income growth since the early 1950s. But while the possibility … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Prices & consumption· Macroeconomic policy Inflation scarring How has the cost-of-living crisis changed Britain? Wednesday 22 May 2024 Economies around the world exited the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, and jumped straight into the biggest inflation surge for four decades, with a cost-of-living crisis accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But with inflation finally back close to its target of two per cent, to be confirmed by the ONS on Wednesday 22nd May, now … Continued READ MORE
Prices & consumption· Incomes· Public finances· Growth· Net zero 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 READ MORE
Incomes· Social security In credit? Assessing where Universal Credit’s long rollout has left the benefit system, and Britain Monday 15 April 2024 Universal Credit, announced back in 2010 and introduced in 2013, will be fully rolled out by whoever wins the next election. The benefit has been on a rollercoaster over those years – with the IT underpinning it causing major teething problems, and later success in processing unprecedented numbers of claims during the pandemic. In the … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Housing Building pressure? Rising rents, and what to expect in the future Monday 8 April 2024 The combination of high house prices and stagnating incomes over recent decades, coupled with the decline of social housing, mean that millions more of us are private renters. And they are renting for longer too. Private rents have risen swiftly in the wake of the pandemic. What happens next matters hugely for millions of families, … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Demographics Living life to the full How can we make our longer lives healthier, happier and more productive? Thursday 21 March 2024 Book launch for The Longevity Imperative by Professor Andrew J Scott Britain, along with many other countries, is getting older and living longer. This demographic shift has huge health, economic and societal impacts, but too often the debate is limited to the fiscal costs of an ageing society, and pressures on the NHS. Instead we … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Health and disability· Work· Mobility Healthy starts How mental ill-health shapes the education and economic prospects of young people Monday 26 February 2024 The rising prevalence of mental health problems among young people over recent decades is becoming increasingly concerning. While evidently distressing for the young people and their families, periods of poor mental health can also have significant detrimental impacts on their education and job prospects. Increasing support provided in schools and universities has gone some way … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Prices & consumption· Trade Trading standards How exposure to global trade shapes our living standards Monday 19 February 2024 Britain is an open economy, and has become more open over recent decades – despite the impact of Brexit and ‘slowbalisation’. But the quantity and type of goods and services we trade isn’t the only thing that has shifted. So has what we consume and where we work. All of these shifts affect our exposure … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Savings & debt Saving for today. And tomorrow. How to boost households financial resilience now, and living standards in retirement Monday 12 February 2024 British households aren’t saving enough. Pensions auto-enrolment has got far more of us saving for retirement, but too many of us are not on track for a comfortable old age. More immediately, too few of us have access to rainy-day pots to help us through an unexpected shock. Traditional approaches to encourage people to build … Continued READ MORE
