Resolution Foundation Podcasts

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 families coping with the cost-of-living crisis this winter, and what do they see as the challenges ahead? How are different groups being affected and coping with the squeeze? What comes next in terms of the living standards outlook for this parliament? Is the worst behind or ahead of us? And what difference has, and should, policy make? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and online event to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from the Foundation’s Living Standards Outlook 2023 – which includes a new survey of 10,000 people’s recent experiences of the crisis, funded by the Health Foundation – we will hear from lea

The current energy crisis has highlighted the disaster that is Britain’s poorly insulated housing stock – costing millions of households hundreds of pounds this winter alone. And it is about time, with drastically improving the energy efficiency of our homes the biggest net zero challenge of the 2020s. But progress has been far too slow in recent years, on installing energy efficiency measures, or on answering some of the detailed policy questions this challenge brings with it. What are the biggest barriers to bringing Britain’s Victorian housing stock into the 21st Century? Do households always have a financial incentive to do the right thing on energy efficiency measures? How should policy makers vary their approach across different tenures? And how can policymakers ensure that any incentives for installing insulation are distributed fairly, and drive change at a sufficient scale and pace to fulfil the UK’s net zero obligations? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as

The relationship between politicians and economists has always been complicated, and it has become particularly rocky in Britain over the last decade. Divisions during the Brexit referendum prompted Michael Gove to quip that Britain had ‘had enough of experts’ while a key pillar of Trussonomics was challenging existing economic institutions from the Treasury to the Bank of England and OBR. But technocrats remain a dominant force in economic policy making, and as politicians seek to overturn the UK’s recent record of economic stagnation the relationship between these two disciplines is as important as ever. Have politicians and economists lost faith in each other, or is the picture more nuanced? What are the pros and cons of delegating more economic policy decision-making to experts? And how can politicians better improve voters’ understanding of the economy, and respond to voters’ economic concerns? The Resolution Foundation together with Political Quarterly are hosting an event to mark the publication of a n

Working hours, not just hourly pay rates, are a key determinant of living standards. Historically, men have tended to work more paid hours than women, with working hours for both sexes increasing substantially between the ages of 18 and 25. But over recent decades these trends appear to be weakening, with increasing numbers of young people – and particularly men – choosing to work fewer hours. Working fewer hours can be seen as a result of a positive consequences of rising pay. But equally, combining low hours with low pay can have very negative consequences for people’s living standards and wider inequality. How many young people are underemployed today compared to recent decades? To what extent are changes in underemployment due to people’s changing preferences around work? How concerned should policymakers be about this trend? And what are the potential long-term impacts of lower working hours on people and the wider labour market? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an event to debate and discuss these q

The United Kingdom is facing a decisive decade of huge economic change, from restructuring after Brexit and the pandemic, to urgently transitioning towards a net zero future, and adapting to technological shifts amid an ageing population. But it is doing that against a backdrop of low growth and high inequality, a toxic combination that leaves low- and middle-income households dangerously exposed to today’s cost of living crisis. What role can economic strategies – national and local – play in responding to the challenges of the 2020s, to secure higher growth and lower inequality? How will the changes to come affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the businesses we work for? And what are the prospects of the country rising to these challenges? The West Midlands’ many strengths must be harnessed to manage the economic changes of the 2020s well. But to really thrive, the city-region will need to find ways to ensure that everyone benefits from growth and investment aimed at reducing its productivity gap w

The whole of the United Kingdom is facing a decisive decade of huge economic change, from tackling the energy bills crisis, to restructuring after Brexit and the pandemic, and urgently transitioning towards a net zero future. These shifts present big new opportunities for people and places throughout Wales, such as being a hub for renewable energy and manufacturing. But failing to respond to the disruption these changes also carries huge risks – to our living standards, our communities, and to our planet. Wales’ many strengths must be harnessed to manage this change well and maximise the benefits for all. How will economic change affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the firms we work for? How can we build a new economic strategy that responds to the challenges of the 2020s, as well as our legacy problems of weak productivity, high inequality and stagnating living standards? And how can that strategy deliver a just transition at both local, national and UK-wide levels? As part of the Economy 2030 Inqu

The new Prime Minister and Chancellor have set one central objective for the Autumn Statement – restore economic credibility. They have set the test for doing so as putting the public finances back on a sustainable path by ensuring that debt is falling as a share of the economy. The size of the fiscal reset needed to achieve that is uncertain – with estimates ranging from £40-60 billion – but what is certain is that tough choices on tax and spend are coming. The Autumn Statement will reset the UK’s fiscal policy and set the course for Rishi Sunak’s entire premiership. What approach has the Chancellor taken to navigating the hit to the public finances from rising interest rates globally and the UK specific aftermath of the mini-Budget? How has he balanced tax rises and spending cuts? Where will this leave household living standards and the quality of public services? And has the Government helped or hindered Britain’s ongoing quest for stronger economic growth? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an event to

Britain is one of many countries today in the midst of an economic storm – battered by high inflation, rising interest rates and falling GDP, and set against a wider backdrop of low growth and high inequality. But this is merely the latest of many economic storms the country has had to weather in recent decades, and Britain is hardly alone in having to confront major economic challenges. From the break-up of economic trading blocs, to eras of profound political instability and disruptive price shocks, many other nations have had to adjust to profound economic change, for better and for worse. As Britain navigates the economic challenges of the decade – from changing macroeconomic norms, to our post-Brexit place in the world and the net zero transition – it’s important to learn from the successes and mistakes of previous periods of economic change, both at home and abroad. To do this, The Economy 2030 Inquiry – a collaboration between the Resolution Foundation and the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE

Resolution Foundation event during Week of VocTech Ufi Ventures, the Resolution Foundation and guests explore the future of investment in impact, with a focus on skills technology. The session will explore: What is the opportunity for early-stage investing in new solutions to tackle ‘future of work’ skills and employment challenges? What is the market outlook for impact businesses compared to others in the changing market conditions? What do impact investors in skills technology look for? What does success look like for venture investing in this space? What’s the benefit to a founder of finding an impact investor? What advantages do impact driven companies have? How effective are the emerging models being used in impact investing? Watch back the event here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/impact-investing-in-technology-to-address-skills-and-employment-challenges/ 

Rising energy bills are with us and rising mortgage bills are on the way. While wages are falling far behind inflation, debates rage about whether benefits or the state pension should do the same. Older workers have not returned to the labour market post-Covid, while younger workers may suffer most from the unemployment rise the Bank of England now deems necessary. Britain is in the midst of a cost of living crisis that has many different components, with the result that its scale and nature varies across age groups depending on their jobs, assets and financial resilience. What economic state were different generations in before the cost of living crisis? How will different age groups experience the current crisis and its various components? To what extent has the Government’s response to the crisis redistributed the costs and benefits fairly across generations? And what policies could help to ensure that both old and young people enjoy a brighter economic future? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-pe

Anti-discrimination laws have been with us since the 1960s, but despite this discrimination against workers based on protected characteristics such as race, gender and disability remains prevalent in many workplaces today. This can affect who gets which job, and means the world of work feels very different for different people.  And while there are routes to enforcing these laws – through state enforcement bodies and the courts – workers facing discrimination often find they are far from easy to pursue. How prevalent is discrimination in the workplace, both as a whole and against specific characteristics? To what extent does this align with people’s experiences of discrimination at work? How successful are individuals at taking action when they face discrimination? And what can be done to improve the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions, as part of an ongoing project on labour market enforcement

Britain is in the midst of a political and economic crisis, with four Chancellors and three Prime Ministers in four months. And with the latest political turmoil triggered by attempts to completely rewrite economic policy, the new Prime Minister is under intense pressure to demonstrate his economic credibility, calm the markets and reduce the pressure for faster interest rate hikes. Further tax rises and renewed public spending cuts are all under consideration in the Treasury, with the new Prime Minister choosing to delay and expand the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan into an Autumn Statement on 17th November. What is the outlook for the UK economy? How large is the fiscal challenge facing the new Prime Minister? What options are available to them and the Chancellor to ensure debt is falling in the medium term? And is a rerun of austerity on the cards? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an event to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of new Resolution Foundation analysis on the economic outl

People’s characteristics can shape many aspects of their lives, including their economic lives – from where they shop and live, the assets they hold – and the jobs they do. These impacts filter through to the shape of a country’s economy – with knock-on effects for government spending, interest rates, wealth and longer-term growth. Attempts to achieve widely shared goals for faster growth, or political objectives for particular levels of taxation, need to rest on an understanding of the interactions between demography and economics. To what extent does someone’s gender, age, race, education and upbringing affect what they buy, where they live and what job they do? How do these effects feed into a country’s level of growth and productivity? What impact does this have on the public finances? And how can policy makers use an understanding of Britain’s demographics to design better policies, from health and pensions, to migration and the environment? The Resolution Foundation is co-hosting an event with the Socie

A joint event with Resolution Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authority The United Kingdom is facing a decisive decade of huge economic change, from tackling the energy bills crisis, to restructuring after Brexit and the pandemic, and urgently transitioning towards a net zero future. But it is doing that against a backdrop of low growth and high inequality, a toxic combination that leaves low- and middle-income households dangerously exposed to today’s cost of living crisis. What role can economic strategies – national and local – play in responding to the challenges of the 2020s, to secure higher growth and lower inequality? How will the changes to come affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the businesses we work for? And what are the prospects of the country rising to these challenges? The 2020s will see big new opportunities for people and places throughout the UK and North of England, if emerging and more well-established strengths in world-class scientific, creative, industrial and man

The last few days have seen a radical reshaping of the Government’s economic policy and a radical reaction from financial markets. Out have gone both Treasury orthodoxy and the legacy of the Johnson premiership, and in are lower taxes, higher borrowing – and higher borrowing costs as spooked markets respond. Will this new strategy boost growth in the short- and medium-term? What does market turmoil mean for the Bank of England and Treasury – which has a deadline of 23rd November to explain how the public finances will be set on an sustainable footing? Are more tax cuts to come, or are spending cuts more likely? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an event to debate and discuss these questions. Following a presentation of the Foundation’s analysis, we will hear from leading experts on what might happen next amid a new era for economic policy making. View the event slides here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/what-next/ 

The 20th century was one of unparalleled economic growth – from rising living standards and an explosion of material wealth, to massive falls in poverty and deprivation. But it was also one of huge economic disruption, caused by, and the cause of, brutal global conflicts, as well as one of competing economic philosophies and outlooks, whose popularity have waxed and waned over time. Understanding what underpinned these huge economic shifts – and their impact on individuals, communities, and societies – is important to understanding our history and the turbulent present we are living through. Few people are better equipped to explain these shifts than world-leading economist and polymath Brad DeLong. Brad will join Resolution Foundation Chief Executive Torsten Bell to discuss these issues, which are the subject of his new critically-acclaimed book Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the 20th Century. Brad will also take part in an audience Q&A as part of an interactive webinar, which will be b

The whole of the United Kingdom is facing a decisive decade of huge economic change, from tackling the energy bills crisis, to restructuring after Brexit and the pandemic, and urgently transitioning towards a net zero future. These shifts present big new opportunities for people and places throughout Northern Ireland, such as being a hub for manufacturing and creative industries. But failing to respond to the disruption these changes also carries huge risks – to our living standards, our communities, and to our planet. Northern Ireland’s many strengths must be harnessed to manage this change well and maximise the benefits for all. How will economic change affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the firms we work for? How can we build a new economic strategy that responds to the challenges of the 2020s, as well as our legacy problems of weak productivity, high inequality and stagnating living standards? And how can that strategy deliver a just transition at both local, national and UK-wide levels? As par

Britain is in the midst of a painful cost-of-living squeeze, with double digit inflation prompting the biggest fall in real wages since the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. And the crisis will get far worse in the coming months as inflation continues to rise, energy bills soar, and rising interest rates are felt in higher mortgage payments. However, the sheer scale, duration and distribution of this income squeeze are far from certain, and will depend in part on how policy makers respond. This will be the number one task facing the new Prime Minister. How tight will the income squeeze get this winter, and who will be most affected? How should the new Prime Minister approach tackling this crisis? What mix of tax and benefit policies, or market interventions, might be needed? And what might the Government’s approach mean for the policy makers at the Bank of England? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an event to debate and discuss these questions. Following a presentation of key highlights from our latest Livi

Britain has experienced a wealth surge in recent decades even as household incomes have stagnated. Wealth really matters in both good times and tough times – from young families buying their first home, to drawing on savings in the face of rising energy bills. But not everyone has shared in Britain’s wealth boom, and understanding the wealth gaps that exist across the country are important as people’s financial resilience is tested over the coming months. How has wealth inequality changed over recent decades? What has that meant for different groups and parts of the UK? What role does negative wealth – debt – play? And what do these findings mean for households’ living standards and policy makers’ decisions? To mark the launch of its annual Wealth Audit, in partnership with the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, the Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the report’s key highlights, we will hear from leading experts

Having taken more of a backseat in the economic policy response to the pandemic, monetary policy is back centre stage as central banks around the world grapple with the highest inflation many countries have seen in generations. Monetary policy makers are having to make crucial judgements over the pace and scale of interest rates rises against an economic backdrop that is highly uncertain in both the short- and medium-term. How quickly should interest rates be rising with inflation heading to double-digit levels? What is the outlook for inflation, interest rates, wages and growth in Britain? And how might the role of monetary policy evolve as it responds to the challenges of the coming decade? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an event to mark Michael Saunders’ final speech on the Monetary Policy Committee. In his speech, Michael will consider his time on the interest rate setting body, what to make of recent split votes, and the possibility that demographic change will weigh on the growth of potential supp