Living standards The squeezed middle: The pressure on ordinary workers in America and Britain Wednesday 13 March 2013 As wages stagnate but living costs keep rising, the pressure on working people grows more intense. The issue of living standards has become one of the most urgent challenges for politicians in both Britain and America. At this event the Resolution Foundation launched The Squeezed Middle, a collection of essays from leading economic and policy thinkers … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Squeezed Britain 2013 Wednesday 13 February 2013 In one of its biggest events of the year, the Resolution Foundation launches Squeezed Britain, an authoritative and insightful study of life on low to middle incomes. The survey examines in depth the economic circumstances and financial pressures of the 10 million Britons who fall into this category and crystallises the essential themes of the Resolution Foundation’s work. … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Earning and Belonging – two challenges for progressive politics – Jon Cruddas MP Wednesday 6 February 2013 In a keynote speech the head of Labour’s policy review set out the strategic issues that must be tackled in the run-up to a general election in 2015 including how to foster widely shared prosperity at the same time as strengthening the social fabric of our communities. READ MORE
Welfare Counting the costs of childcare Thursday 17 January 2013 Despite major investment since 2004, the UK continues to have some of the most expensive childcare in the world – a couple on double the average wage, with two children in childcare spend 30 per cent of their disposable income on childcare compared to a latest OECD average of just 12 per cent. Growing employment … Continued READ MORE
Housing On borrowed time: Will household debt undermine economic recovery? Wednesday 12 December 2012 This event examined the scale and distribution of household debt in the UK and asked how much of a risk it poses to economic growth. It is more than four years since the UK entered recession, and whilst there are some signs of improvement, there is no doubt that the recovery has been sluggish – … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Gaining from Growth: The final report of the Commission on Living Standards Wednesday 31 October 2012 The Commission on Living Standards unveiled its final report, Gaining from Growth, on 31 October 2012 at Sixty One Whitehall. Speaking at the launch event, the Commission’s Chair Clive Cowdery said it suggested solutions to a “fundamental long-term structural problem in Britain” which means lower-income families no longer share in the benefits of national economic growth. He … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Living with Less? Monday 8 October 2012 Growth in the UK remains tepid. Forecasts from the OBR suggest growth in 2012 of just 0.7% and many commentators believe that this is optimistic. Such low levels of growth come with continued high unemployment and an unsurprising squeeze on living standards as families are forced to tighten their budgets and to pay down debt. … Continued READ MORE
Housing Renting nation with Lord Freud Sunday 7 October 2012 The Resolution Foundation is hosting a high-level private roundtable at the Conservative Party conference with Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform, on “Renting nation: welfare reform and growth in the private rented sector.” Recently published research from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, commissioned for the Resolution Foundation and Shelter, shows that by 2025 … Continued READ MORE
Housing Renting nation with Jack Dromey MP Wednesday 3 October 2012 The Resolution Foundation is hosting a high-level private roundtable at the Labour Party conference with Jack Dromey MP, Shadow Housing Minister, on “Renting nation: growth and reform in the private rented sector.” Recently published research from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, commissioned for the Resolution Foundation and Shelter, shows that by 2025 the … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Squeezed Britain: Meeting the living standards challenge in the decade ahead Tuesday 2 October 2012 Growth in the UK remains tepid. Forecasts from the OBR suggest growth in 2012 of just 0.7% and many commentators believe that this is optimistic. Such low levels of growth come with continued high unemployment and an unsurprising squeeze on living standards as families are forced to tighten their budgets and to pay down debt. … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Family Fortunes: moving from family austerity to family fairness Tuesday 2 October 2012 This event is part of a series of Resolution Foundation debates exploring solutions to the current living standards crisis, ahead of the final report of the Commission on Living Standards, to be published this autumn. This event is organised with Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). READ MORE
Labour market The living wage: Is decent pay for all possible? Monday 1 October 2012 The Resolution Foundation and IPPR will host an event at this year’s Labour Party Conference in Manchester to discuss the future prospects of the living wage. The concept of a living wage has gained increasing traction across the political spectrum in recent years yet remains under-interrogated. As a result, the Resolution Foundation and IPPR established … Continued READ MORE
Housing Renting nation with Andrew Stunell MP Tuesday 25 September 2012 The Resolution Foundation is hosting a high-level private roundtable at the Liberal Democrat Party conference with Andrew Stunell MP, former Minister for Communities and Local Government, on “Renting nation: growth and reform in the private rented sector.” Recently published research from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, commissioned for the Resolution Foundation and Shelter, … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Squeezed Britain: Meeting the living standards challenge in the decade ahead Monday 24 September 2012 Growth in the UK remains tepid. Forecasts from the OBR suggest growth in 2012 of just 0.7% and many commentators believe that this is optimistic. Such low levels of growth come with continued high unemployment and an unsurprising squeeze on living standards as families are forced to tighten their budgets and to pay down debt. … Continued READ MORE
Living standards It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! Stan Greenberg and David Miliband MP Tuesday 11 September 2012 The Resolution Foundation hosted a keynote speech by Stan Greenberg, former polling advisor to President Bill Clinton, to discuss the issues raised by his latest book (co-written with James Carville), It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! The event was chaired by David Miliband MP and asked what the UK can learn from the US experience, discussing what action we can take … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Raising Living Standards – Nick Boles MP and Lord Andrew Adonis Tuesday 10 July 2012 The Resolution Foundation hosted a keynote political speech by Nick Boles MP, with a response from Lord Andrew Adonis, on the challenge of raising living standards for those on low to middle incomes in the decade ahead. This event was part of a series with another keynote speech by Rachel Reeves MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Raising Living Standards – Rachel Reeves MP Thursday 28 June 2012 The Resolution Foundation hosted a keynote political speech by Rachel Reeves MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on the challenge of raising living standards for those on low to middle incomes in the decade ahead. This event is part of a series with future speakers including Nick Boles MP and Lord Andrew Adonis. This comes in … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Tax credits: a help or hindrance for low pay? Tuesday 29 May 2012 Tax credits provided a vital support for low to middle income households in the run up to the 2008 financial crisis. With wage growth weak and female employment faltering, tax credits were all that prevented widespread declines in living standards. Yet with a price tag rising to nearly £30 billion a year many would argue … Continued READ MORE
Housing Inequality, Debt and Growth Tuesday 15 May 2012 This event launched new analysis from NIESR on the link between inequality and debt in the run up to the 2008/09 financial crisis. It considered the extent to which lower income households, who saw low income growth in the pre-crisis period, borrowed in order to sustain their consumption. It also considered whether, with credit conditions … Continued READ MORE
Labour market What price a living wage? Thursday 10 May 2012 David Cameron has described the living wage as ‘an idea whose time has come’, yet relatively few workers have secured higher wages as a result of a living wage campaign. This event brought together private and public sector employers, unions, campaigners and researchers to better understand the benefits, costs and potential trade-offs of implementing a … Continued READ MORE
Labour market More than a minimum: Where next for the National Minimum Wage? Tuesday 17 April 2012 Since its introduction in 1999 the minimum wage has raised the pay of some of the lowest earners in Britain. Now, as might be expected in tough economic times, growth in its value has gone into reverse. The recent announcement that the minimum wage will rise by 11 pence to £6.19 in October 2012 marks … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Lowering the Price of Motherhood: improving childcare, employer flexibility and part-time work Thursday 15 March 2012 Rising female employment has been central to Britain’s economy and the living standards of families over the last two decades. But once women have children, they often find themselves taking lower skilled, lower paid jobs because of the high costs of childcare, inflexible jobs and the lack of high quality part time work. In the … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Easing the squeeze: personal allowances or tax credits? Wednesday 14 March 2012 Commission on Living Standards Policy Series In the run up to the Budget one of the central questions is what the next move will be on personal tax allowances as a tool in ‘ending austerity’ for those on low to middle incomes. The Resolution Foundation invites you to join us in a discussion of the … Continued READ MORE
Economy and public finances Developing an Industrial Strategy for the UK Monday 27 February 2012 In an age of globalisation and rapid technological change, what steps must the UK take to rebalance the economy and improve productivity and real wages whilst delivering environmental sustainability and social justice. The Resolution Foundation, IPPR, and the New Economics Foundation held a conference bringing together senior politicians, leading academics and business leaders to discuss what an industrial strategy … Continued READ MORE
Living standards Keynote speech by Nick Clegg Thursday 26 January 2012 As part of the Resolution Foundation’s Commission on Living Standards the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, gave a keynote speech. The Deputy Prime Minister spoke on how to improve the living standards of low to middle income families, before taking questions. READ MORE
