Resolution Foundation Podcasts

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 mortgages. But there is a glimmer of hope in pay packets, which are growing again in real terms after another painful squeeze. How are the twin trends of rising housing costs and rebounding pay being felt? How much variation do these averages hide – and is it the same people seeing their rents surge and pay rise? Are renters or those with a mortgage being harder hit? And what does this all mean for the next stage of the cost-of-living crisis? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from our latest cost-of-living survey, we will hear from leading experts on how Britain’s lates

The goal of a new economic strategy is not a somewhat richer, somewhat fairer, version of the UK’s stagnant status quo, but a more enduring shift in direction; economic change will have to be embraced and steered. And yet despite popular claims that change is speeding up, it is slowing down; the reallocation of labour between sectors is at its lowest level in over 90 years. Panel discussion on 'Steering economic change' at the final report conference for The Economy 2030 Inquiry. Speakers: Gregory Thwaites, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times Professor David Edgerton, Professor of History at King’s College London Stephanie Flanders, Head of Bloomberg Economics Lord David Willetts, President of the Resolution Foundation (Chair) Read the report: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/ending-stagnation/  View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/ending-stagnation/ 

Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer MP, in conversation with Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, at the final report conference for The Economy 2030 Inquiry. The UK has great strengths, but is a decade and a half into a period of stagnation. The combination of slow growth and high inequality is proving toxic for low- and middle-income Britain. The result is a country falling behind its peers, where taxes, rather than wages, are rising, and living standards were under strain long before the cost of living crisis struck. The task facing the UK is to embark on a new path. A new economic strategy for Britain must leverage rather than downplay its strengths, confront rather than ignore its weaknesses, face-up to rather than wish-away trade-offs, and align rather than silo agendas stretching from industrial policy to tax reform and the net zero transition. Over the past three years, the Resolution Foundation has been collaborating with the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE on The Eco

For poorer and middle-income families today, it is not just low growth but also the skewed way in which it is shared, that produces stagnation. Indeed, low growth and high inequality means typical households in Britain are 9 per cent poorer than their French counterparts, while our low-income families are 27 per cent poorer. Panel discussion on 'Getting inequality down' at the final report conference of The Economy 2030 Inquiry. Speakers: Lindsay Judge, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales Christina McAnea, General Secretary of UNISON Andy Haldane, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts Gavin Kelly, Chair of the Resolution Foundation (Chair) Read the report: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/ending-stagnation/  View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/ending-stagnation/ 

The UK has many strengths, from world-class universities and creative industries to high employment. But having grown more quickly than most advanced economies from the 1990s to the mid-2000s, the UK has been in relative decline ever since: the average productivity gap with France, Germany and the US doubled, to 18 per cent, between 2008 and 2022. Panel discussion on 'Getting growth up' at the final report conference of The Economy 2030 Inquiry. Speakers: Emily Fry, Economist at the Resolution Foundation Dr Swati Dhingra, Associate Professor of Economics at CEP LSE Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council Dame Sharon White, Chair of the John Lewis Partnership Professor Diane Coyle, Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at Cambridge University Dr Anna Valero, Distinguished Policy Fellow at CEP LSE (Chair) Read the report: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/ending-stagnation/  View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/ending-stagnation/ 

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt MP, in conversation with Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, at the final report conference for The Economy 2030 Inquiry. The UK has great strengths, but is a decade and a half into a period of stagnation. The combination of slow growth and high inequality is proving toxic for low- and middle-income Britain. The result is a country falling behind its peers, where taxes, rather than wages, are rising, and living standards were under strain long before the cost of living crisis struck. The task facing the UK is to embark on a new path. A new economic strategy for Britain must leverage rather than downplay its strengths, confront rather than ignore its weaknesses, face-up to rather than wish-away trade-offs, and align rather than silo agendas stretching from industrial policy to tax reform and the net zero transition. Over the past three years, the Resolution Foundation has been collaborating with the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE on The E

Presentation by Resolution Foundation Chief Executive, Torsten Bell, at the final report conference for The Economy 2030 Inquiry. The UK has great strengths, but is a decade and a half into a period of stagnation. The combination of slow growth and high inequality is proving toxic for low- and middle-income Britain. The result is a country falling behind its peers, where taxes, rather than wages, are rising, and living standards were under strain long before the cost of living crisis struck. The task facing the UK is to embark on a new path. A new economic strategy for Britain must leverage rather than downplay its strengths, confront rather than ignore its weaknesses, face-up to rather than wish-away trade-offs, and align rather than silo agendas stretching from industrial policy to tax reform and the net zero transition. Over the past three years, the Resolution Foundation has been collaborating with the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE on The Economy 2030 Inquiry, funded by the Nuffield Foundatio

This panel discussed the role of social innovation and investment in bringing about good work in the UK, and the role of foundations and action-oriented researchers to turn this agenda into reality. Chair – Gavin Kelly, Chair of the Resolution Foundation Danyal Sattar, CEO of Big Issue Invest Anna Thomas, Director of the Institute for the Future of Work Paul Kissack, CEO of Joseph Rowntree Foundation Watch the whole conference: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/workertech-conference/ 

This panel discussed the current status of the labour market enforcement landscape, how technology can be used to enhance worker power for low-paid or precarious workers, and how unions can make the most of technology opportunities. Chair – Klara Skrivankova, Director of Programmes at Trust for London Hannah Slaughter, Senior Economist at Resolution Foundation Kate Dearden, Head of Research, Policy and External Relations at Community Union Jeegar Kakkad, Director at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change Emma Back, Co-founder at Equal Care Coop Watch the whole conference: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/workertech-conference/ 

This panel discussed the current landscape for training and skills, how tech can be used to ensure workers in low-paying jobs can access upskilling and reskilling, and the biggest barriers to workers using tech for training. Chair – Danielle Walker-Palmour, Director of Friends Provident Foundation Helen Gironi, Director of Ventures at Ufi Ventures Claudine Adeyemi, CEO and co-founder of Earlybird Louise Murphy, Economist at Resolution Foundation Watch the whole conference: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/workertech-conference/ 

This panel focused on the opportunities and threats of using tech in the world of low-paid work, in particular for working conditions and training, and the role that social and impact investors can play in supporting WorkerTech. Chair – Sarah O’Connor, Columnist at the Financial Times Sherry Coutu, Chair of WorkFinder Stephen Muers, CEO of Big Society Capital Anna Maybank, CEO and co-founder of Breakroom Andrew Pakes, Deputy General Secretary at Prospect Union Watch the whole conference: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/workertech-conference/ 

The economy is set to be a defining feature of the run in to next General Election. Inflation is falling, but so too is consumer confidence. Tax revenues are going up, but NHS waiting lists aren’t coming down. In the Autumn Statement the Chancellor will be navigating these short-term challenges, but also addressing longer-term questions about Britain’s weak growth and strained public finances. What is the latest outlook for the UK economy ahead of the General Election next year? To what extent did the Chancellor balance pressure on the public finances with political pressure to please voters? How might the Chancellor’s decisions improve economic growth or boost living standards? And what does the likely penultimate fiscal event before the UK goes to the polls tell us about the economic battleground that the next General Election will be fought over? The morning after the Autumn Statement, the Resolution Foundation is hosting an event to discuss these issues and more. Following a presentation from Foundation s

Low productivity is the foundational cause of Britain’s recent economic malaise, and raising it is a top priority for policy makers. Public and private investment in research and development is a key route to boosting productivity and future economic growth. But businesses often complain that policy makers are failing to create an environment that encourages private investment. After the ONS revision how much are we now spending on R&D? How does our recent performance compare with other advanced economies? What barriers do we need to overcome to boost R&D spending? And how can it align it with a new economic strategy for the UK focused on boosting growth? The Resolution Foundation and the Foundation for Science and Technology are co-hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions, as part of the Nuffield Foundation-funded Economy 2030 Inquiry. We will hear from leading experts on how R&D currently fits in the UK’s economic plans, and where it might fit into a futu

Advanced economies across the globe have experienced a series of unprecedented economic shocks since the start of the century. But they have not affected all generations equally. The disproportionate impact on the financial wellbeing of younger people has sparked concerns about generational fairness on both sides of the Atlantic. Fifteen years on from the global financial crisis, its impact is still being felt by the young, and the not-so-young-anymore, across Europe and America. How have the living standards of millennials, boomers and Gen Xers fared on either side of the Atlantic? Have British generations been permanently scarred, or are they bouncing back? How have different cohorts coped with soaring housing costs, inflated asset prices, and wages that have barely budged in 15 years? And how can today’s working population expect to be supported in retirement, as the state struggles to reconfigure itself around an ageing population? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar

Devolution is essential to both tackle economic inequality across England and drive national economic growth. Significant change has already occurred, with metro mayors and combined authorities taking control over significant areas from transport to housing in areas covering large swathes of the country. But we have not seen fiscal devolution, as responsibility for how money is spent has not been coupled with significant powers over how, and how much, money is raised. What should the next phase of devolution be? How should it connect to wider question of the UK’s economic strategy? Is there real appetite for genuine fiscal devolution? And are we ready for the major political and economic trade-offs that would bring? 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 Inquiry-commissioned research by Centre for Cities, we

The Chancellor has two just two more fiscal events in which to prepare the economic pitch for the upcoming General Election. The backdrop is a challenging and uncertain economic environment, alongside huge pressure on both public services and finances. With the Prime Minister making a virtue of the need to take tough decisions, the Chancellor will trying to both prepare his party for the coming election and the country, struggling with sluggish growth, for the decades ahead. What is the outlook for the UK economy as inflation falls but interest rates remain high? Will the Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest economic forecasts ease or tighten the pressure on the public finances? What decisions will the Chancellor take on tax and benefits, public and private investment and wider economic reform – and are those decisions the right ones? And what will the Autumn Statement tell us about the government’s economic pitch in the General Election? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive

Britain faces a simply huge infrastructure challenge. As well as decarbonising our homes, we need to modernise our water, energy and transport networks, replacing basic infrastructure that often dates back to the Victorian era. Achieving this is likely to require major investment, regulatory reform and new institutions to drive forward change, as well as a strong will to stay the course. And Britain’s recent record is somewhat chequered… How big is our Britain’s infrastructure challenge? How can public institutions support private sector investment? How important are new regulations, regulators and wider institutions in rebuilding Britain? And what barriers are we going to need to overcome? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, in partnership with the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE, and funded by the Nuffield Foundation – to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new Inquiry-c

Britain urgently needs to boost its economic growth. But while there are many routes to doing so, most ultimately come down to people boosting national prosperity – and to do this they need the right skills for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. But Britain’s record on skills is chequered – its often world leading universities are politically unfashionable, routes into good work for non-graduates are limited, and too many employers have foregone their role in skilling our workforce. How can we ensure growing sectors of the economy have enough tertiary-educated workers? How can we improve outcomes for those who don’t go to university? Can we ever make apprenticeships work at scale? And how can we ensure that Britain’s skills policy is driving better pay, progression and GDP growth? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, in partnership with the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE, and funded by the Nuffield Foundation

Britain’s macroeconomic policy that the Treasury and Bank of England have got used to is crisis management – from a financial crash to a global pandemic and a huge inflation spike. Both have adopted new approaches to supporting the economy, going far beyond textbook cuts to interest rates. Today the legacy is higher levels of debt, amid huge uncertainties about the future path of interest rates. But Britain’s macroeconomic policy framework – from the Chancellor’s fiscal rules to the Bank’s inflation target – remain largely unchanged this century. Do today’s higher interest rates mean monetary policy makers have more scope to support the economy in a downturn? Or if a world of ultra-low interest rates returns, what does it mean for monetary policy effectiveness and inflation targeting? Can the Treasury repeat the likes of furlough or caps on energy prices when the next crisis hits? And would it take to meet both main parties’ commitment to see debt falling as a share of GDP – to fix the fiscal roof when the ec

The last few years have not been easy times for any advanced economies. The UK, US, and Eurozone have all buffeted by major economic shocks, most recently by the most significant inflation surge in four decades. But while there are many common themes – huge inflation pressures, rising interest rates, tight labour markets and weak GDP growth – the drivers and evolution of these trends vary from country to country. The UK currently has higher inflation than seen across the Atlantic, and some expect it to see interest rates remain higher for longer too. Why has inflation risen and fallen at different scales and speeds in different countries – and on different sides of the Atlantic? What does that tell us about who is most, and least, likely to experience a ‘soft landing’ from recent interest rate hikes? And what might this mean for elections expected in the US and UK next autumn? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – in partnership with leading US think-thank The Brookings I