Economy 2030· Public spending· Economy and public finances Pressure points Why the state is getting bigger and what we do about it Thursday 10 February 2022 The UK that exits the pandemic has a bigger state than the one that went into it. The 2020s will bring further pressure for the state to grow or our tax revenues to shrink, including from our ageing society and net zero ambitions. But previous approaches to responding to such pressure – from shrinking the … Continued READ MORE
Pensions & savings· Intergenerational Centre Family fortunes How intergenerational giving is changing us Thursday 3 February 2022 Inheritances have always been used to give relatives a financial boost. But they look set to be a growing part of 21st Century Britain as household wealth booms, particularly for older cohorts. This brings with it change for younger people, whose lifetime living standards may increasingly be shaped by the inheritances or gifts they receive … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Brexit & trade Pivot Pivot! Assessing the UK’s new Indo-Pacific trade focus Wednesday 26 January 2022 The UK’s exit from the EU has given it the freedom to pursue an independent trade strategy for the first time in four decades. To date, post-Brexit trade debate has focused on lost access to EU markets, roll-over deals preserving the status quo, and a lack of progress with the US. But the start of … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Welfare Beyond Beveridge Have social security shifts prepared us for economic change? Wednesday 19 January 2022 The modern welfare state is approaching its 75th anniversary, but continual reforms and wider economic change mean that it bears little resemblance to the system first envisaged by William Beveridge. And it faces new challenges, with Covid, Brexit and net zero – coupled with rapid demographic and technological change – set to reshape our economy … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Living standards New year, old pandemic Assessing the politics, economics and epidemiology of 2022 Thursday 13 January 2022 With Omicron cases the only thing rising faster than energy bills, 2022 is off to a difficult start. The pandemic and cost of living pressures will continue to dominate political and economic debates through 2022, but what that means for strains on the NHS and family budgets, or volatile GDP and poll ratings, is hugely … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Labour market Changing jobs? How economic change affects the world of work Thursday 6 January 2022 The labour market has changed substantially over the past 60 years – from fewer factories and more health services, to working with new machines or being replaced by them. In the decade ahead it will change again thanks to Brexit, Covid-19 and the net zero transition. But the relationship between how the labour market as … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Prices & consumption 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 READ MORE
Wealth & assets· Housing· Tax The Great British wealth windfall Is now the time to reform property taxation? Thursday 9 December 2021 House prices across the UK have rocketed over recent decades, and have continued to surge even when the rest of the economy collapsed during the Covid crisis. This has delivered a huge wealth windfall, that far from being shared equally has gone to existing asset owners. This windfall has also largely slipped past the tax … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Exploring WorkerTech in Manchester together Bringing the WorkerTech community in Manchester together to explore how we might shape a fairer future of work for all Tuesday 7 December 2021 Online event. Register to receive access link. We’re excited to bring you an event bringing the Manchester community together to discuss and explore new technologies that help shape a fairer future of work. We’ll be joined by expert speakers who’ll provide us with tangible insights into how we might leverage new technologies to improve the … Continued READ MORE
Housing Hope to buy? Assessing trends in home ownership Thursday 2 December 2021 Purchasing a house has traditionally been seen as one of the key milestones in adulthood, providing not just a home but financial security for many. But with youth home ownership having declined substantially over the past three decades, this milestone is increasingly one many may not reach. How have trends in youth home ownership changed … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Labour market Back to the future What comes next for the UK’s post-pandemic labour market? Tuesday 23 November 2021 At the onset of the pandemic, there were widespread concerns about catastrophic levels of unemployment in the face of lockdowns. But extending the furlough scheme has kept a lid on unemployment, while the reopening of the economy this summer has sparked a ‘jobs-rush’. As the UK labour market enters a new phase, it is important … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Economy 2030· Firms· Economic growth Open for business? Assessing the performance of British firms Monday 15 November 2021 British firms have had a tumultuous decade – from the financial crisis to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020s brings new challenges as they grapple with post-Brexit trade and regulatory changes, the net zero transition, and improving the UK’s woeful productivity record. But what is the state of British business as it heads into this decisive … Continued READ MORE
Firms· Labour market No shame, no gain? Do firms’ reputational concerns affect their compliance with labour market laws? Tuesday 9 November 2021 In-person event and live interactive webinar. Register to receive access link. Businesses are responsible for ensuring they treat their workers fairly – from providing safe workplaces to paying staff the wages they’ve earned. But not all firms meet these standards at all times and, in the age of social media, public outcry at poor behaviour … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030· Pay· Economic growth Gaining from growth When the economy grows, do wages? Wednesday 3 November 2021 While GDP is rarely discussed in the pub, the feedthrough from economic growth to higher wages is central to boosting family living standards. And while both pay and wider economic growth have been in short supply in the UK over the past decade, there is growing unease at the sense that these two crucial measures … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Budgets & fiscal events· Economy and public finances Budgeting for Britain What the Budget and Spending Review tell us about the Government’s economic strategy Thursday 28 October 2021 Rishi Sunak has had to make a flurry of major fiscal announcements during his 18-months as Chancellor amidst the Covid-19 crisis. At last, with the worse of the crisis behind us, he will hope to be able to set-out an economic plan for post-pandemic Britain in his Budget and Spending Review next Wednesday. However, with … Continued READ MORE
Intergenerational Centre Covid cohorts How have different generations fared in the second half of the pandemic? Thursday 21 October 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has touched everyone’s lives, but has been felt differently across generations. And while the first half of the pandemic was marked by lockdowns to curb rising infections and deaths, the second half has been marked by the vaccine rollout and the reopening of the economy. The second half of the pandemic will … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030 Trading places What does Brexit mean for the UK’s economic strategy? Thursday 14 October 2021 The UK’s political and policy debate on trade has become preoccupied with the nuts and bolts of individual trade deals – some real, some imaginary. Meanwhile bigger questions about the future path of the UK economy post-Brexit are ignored. Trade shapes our economic strengths and weaknesses, the jobs we do, and where we do them. … Continued READ MORE
Economy 2030 Pastures new Is lower migration the route to a new, higher wage, British economy? Wednesday 13 October 2021 Lower migration was always going to be a consequence of the vote to leave the European Union and Covid-19 has accelerated that change. The short term results include empty petrol stations and supermarkets’ warning of a Turkey-less Christmas. But wages are also rising fast for HGV drivers and the Prime Minister now insists that weaning … Continued READ MORE
Economic growth Cogs and Monsters How economics needs to adapt to solve the world’s crises Tuesday 12 October 2021 Digital technology, big data, machine learning and AI are revolutionizing both the tools of economics and the phenomena it seeks to measure, understand, and shape. The profession faces enormous challenges and opportunities in responding effectively to these dizzying changes and in helping policymakers solve the world’s crises – from steering the Covid recovery and tackling … Continued READ MORE
Political parties and elections Can Conservatives be loved in the South while ‘Levelling up’ the North? Sunday 3 October 2021 Resolution Foundation fringe event at Conservative Party Conference 2021 Britain’s place-based inequalities have rocked the electoral landscape in recent years, and the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda will attempt to close Britain’s deep-rooted prosperity gaps. But how can this welcome ambition translate into policies that will make a difference to people’s lives, and will more prosperous … Continued READ MORE
Political parties and elections The Big Debate What is the economic plan for post-pandemic Britain? Sunday 3 October 2021 Resolution Foundation fringe event at Conservative Party Conference 2021. This event is sponsored by Aviva. Britain is facing a decade of economic change on a scale we haven’t seen since at least the 1980s – from the Covid recovery to plotting a new path outside the EU, and transitioning towards a low carbon economy. The … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Economy 2030 The carbon crunch? Delivering the next phase of the Net Zero transition Thursday 30 September 2021 Over the course of the 2020s, the UK will embark on the crucial next phase of the transition toward a Net Zero economy. This will touch our lives and livelihoods like never before, as we decarbonise how we travel and heat our homes. And with COP 26 starting in Glasgow in little over a months’ … Continued READ MORE
Political parties and elections Labour’s Economic Plan For The UK Post-Covid In Conversation With Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP Tuesday 28 September 2021 Resolution Foundation fringe event at Labour Party Conference 2021. This event is organised in partnership with the FSB. The UK is set for a decade of profound economic change – from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to our new future outside the EU and the urgent transition towards a low carbon economy. These changes … Continued READ MORE
Political parties and elections The Big Debate Where Next for the UK Economy Post-Pandemic? Sunday 26 September 2021 Resolution Foundation fringe event at Labour Party Conference 2021. This event is sponsored by Aviva. The UK is set for a decade of profound economic change – from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to our new future outside the EU and the urgent transition towards a low carbon economy. These changes will be set … Continued READ MORE
Good job? How our experience of work has changed over the past 30 years Monday 20 September 2021 The world of work has changed substantially over the past 30 years – from what job we do, to how we do it and what we get paid. These things matter for our job satisfaction – indeed our life satisfaction, via the esteem we get from work, to the stress or success it can bring. … Continued READ MORE
