Thursday 30 June 2022

Mind the gap (part II)

What drives productivity gaps across the UK?

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 them.

How big are productivity gaps across Britain, and how they changed over time? Are all productivity gaps a problem, or should we focus on some more than others? What do the causes of those gaps tell us about what it would take to close them? And are we on course to do so?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, funded by the Nuffield Foundation – to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new research joint with the LSE on productivity gaps between places, we will hear from leading experts on what these findings tell us about the UK’s spatial inequalities and how to close these gaps.

The first ‘Mind the gap’ event, focusing on income gaps between places, is taking place on Monday 27th June.

The event will be open for people to physically attend, alongside being broadcast via YouTube and the Resolution Foundation website. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event via Slido.