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

Rising rents and rebounding wages

Where is Britain’s cost-of-living crisis heading?

Thursday 14 December 2023

Inflation is down, but Britain’s cost-of-living crisis is still very much with us. The legacy of previous price rises for energy and food are now combining with a new pressure: housing. Private rents are rising at their fastest rate in over a decade, while the impact of higher interest rates is still feeding through into … Continued

We need to talk about inflation

What history has to teach us about surging prices

Wednesday 3 May 2023

Book launch event for We Need to Talk About Inflation by Stephen King From investors and academics, to governments and central banks, almost everyone had assumed high and persistent inflation was dead and buried. But with inflation having soared to double-digits, people the world over are confronting a new economic reality of surging prices. Reflecting … Continued

Still coping?

How families are faring as the cost-of-living crisis enters its second year

Thursday 27 April 2023

The UK’s cost-of-living crunch has entered its second year. While inflation should fall significantly in the coming months, the crisis is far from over. Prices are rising more slowly rather than falling. And the significant government support provided last year is being scaled back, while fast rising interest rates will affect more and more homeowners … Continued

New year, renewed squeeze?

The outlook for living standards in 2023 and beyond

Monday 9 January 2023

Britain’s cost-of-living crisis has been brutal this winter – even with significant government support – as bills rise and real wages fall. Inflation should ease in the year ahead, but government support is also being scaled back and rising interest rates will feed through into higher mortgage costs. The outlook is highly uncertain. How are … Continued

Whose economy?

Exploring people’s experiences as workers, consumers and citizens

Wednesday 11 May 2022

We all experience the economy in a myriad of different ways – from the jobs we do, to the things we buy and the communities we live in. The good, the bad and the ugly of those experiences are important considerations, not just for individual economic policy decisions, but in setting the objectives of our … Continued

Crunch time

The Living Standards Outlook for 2022

Tuesday 8 March 2022

The good news is that Britain is finally stepping out of the pandemic. The bad news is that it is stepping straight into a renewed living standards squeeze which, according to the latest Bank of England forecasts, could be the tightest one in generations. Prices, bills and taxes are all going up, and wages aren’t … Continued

Crunch time

The causes and consequences of Britain’s cost of living squeeze

Wednesday 15 December 2021

A faster than expected economic recovery has evolved into an entirely unexpected cost of living squeeze. Energy bills surges, and hot competition for second hand cars or even Christmas presents, means that household bills are rising more swiftly than workers’ pay packets. Policy matters too, with some families seeing benefit cuts this Autumn, while others … Continued

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