Resolution Foundation Event Recordings

Economies around the world exited the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, and jumped straight into the biggest inflation surge for four decades, with a cost-of-living crisis accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But with inflation finally back close to its target of two per cent, to be confirmed by the ONS on Wednesday 22nd May, now is the time to assess where the cost-of-living crisis has left our economy.

How does the UK experience compare to that elsewhere? Where has it left the relative prices of different goods and services, and the wages of different kinds of workers? How has it affected living standards, and households’ behaviour in terms of their spending and saving? And what might its legacy be in terms of the public and personal finances?

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 new research on the cost of living crisis, we will hear from leading experts on both its impact, and lessons learned, for policy makers and the wider public.

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/paying-the-price/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/inflation-scarring/ 

A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new economic strategy to lift itself out of stagnation.

This national picture is also reflected in cities across the North East. These cities have built on their industrial heritage to become hubs for economic development, with economic strengths in subsea technology, games development and medical science – helping to reduce its ‘jobs gap’ with the rest of the UK. But there are also high levels of deprivation and low levels of productivity, so the region won’t be truly thriving unless it finds ways to ensure that all its inhabitants benefit from growth and investment.

What should a new national economic strategy for Britain include? How will economic change affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the businesses we work for? What are the prospects for cities like Newcastle in rising to these daunting but reachable challenges? And how can we ensure that the benefits of thriving city centres reach other parts of the North East too?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting this event, in partnership with Insights North East, to debate Britain’s future economic strategy, building on the analysis of The Economy 2030 Inquiry – a three-year collaboration between the Resolution Foundation and the LSE, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. We will be joined by leading experts from policy and business in the region to discuss how different areas of the UK – particularly in the North East – can secure widely shared prosperity.

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/setting-a-new-path-to-greater-shared-prosperity/ 

A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new economic strategy to lift itself out of stagnation.

This national picture is also mirrored in Bradford. The city and surrounding area have built on their industrial heritage to become hubs for economic development, while the award of City of Culture reflects the city’s thriving creative industry. But the city also has high levels of deprivation, and won’t be truly thriving unless it finds ways to ensure that all its inhabitants benefit from growth and investment.

What should a new national economic strategy for Britain include? How will economic change affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the businesses we work for? And what are the prospects for cities like Bradford – and regions like West Yorkshire – in rising to these daunting but reachable challenges?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting this event, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to debate Britain’s future economic strategy, building on the analysis of The Economy 2030 Inquiry – a three-year collaboration between the Resolution Foundation and the LSE, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. We will be joined by leading experts from policy and business in the region to discuss how different areas of the UK – particularly Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire region – can secure widely shared prosperity.

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/building-a-better-britain/ 

1999 saw the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Senedd all meet in their full form for the first time. This marked the most significant act of devolution of the 20th Century, and it has changed the United Kingdom significantly over the past quarter of a century. The process of devolution has continued to evolve, with the extent of the devolution of economic powers building over time. And those powers have been used, with different tax, spending, and social security choices made across the nations. As devolution hits its 25th birthday, now is the time to take stock of what has been done, and what has been learned.

How have devolved nations used policy levers differently, whether to raise revenue or address priorities like reducing child poverty? Have different growth strategies been pursued across the nations, and what are the different approaches to strategic economic policy making? Has devolution of economic powers gone too far or not far enough? And what lessons can policy makers in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Westminster learn from devolution so far – and from each other – to improve economic decision making across the whole United Kingdom?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting a major conference, in partnership with PolicyWISE, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We will hear from leading politicians, economists and policy makers on the lessons from devolution, including keynote speeches by the Former Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, and the Former First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford.

1999 saw the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Senedd all meet in their full form for the first time. This marked the most significant act of devolution of the 20th Century, and it has changed the United Kingdom significantly over the past quarter of a century. The process of devolution has continued to evolve, with the extent of the devolution of economic powers building over time. And those powers have been used, with different tax, spending, and social security choices made across the nations. As devolution hits its 25th birthday, now is the time to take stock of what has been done, and what has been learned.

How have devolved nations used policy levers differently, whether to raise revenue or address priorities like reducing child poverty? Have different growth strategies been pursued across the nations, and what are the different approaches to strategic economic policy making? Has devolution of economic powers gone too far or not far enough? And what lessons can policy makers in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Westminster learn from devolution so far – and from each other – to improve economic decision making across the whole United Kingdom?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting a major conference, in partnership with PolicyWISE, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We will hear from leading politicians, economists and policy makers on the lessons from devolution, including keynote speeches by the Former Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, and the Former First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford.

Speakers:

1999 saw the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Senedd all meet in their full form for the first time. This marked the most significant act of devolution of the 20th Century, and it has changed the United Kingdom significantly over the past quarter of a century. The process of devolution has continued to evolve, with the extent of the devolution of economic powers building over time. And those powers have been used, with different tax, spending, and social security choices made across the nations. As devolution hits its 25th birthday, now is the time to take stock of what has been done, and what has been learned.

How have devolved nations used policy levers differently, whether to raise revenue or address priorities like reducing child poverty? Have different growth strategies been pursued across the nations, and what are the different approaches to strategic economic policy making? Has devolution of economic powers gone too far or not far enough? And what lessons can policy makers in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Westminster learn from devolution so far – and from each other – to improve economic decision making across the whole United Kingdom?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting a major conference, in partnership with PolicyWISE, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We will hear from leading politicians, economists and policy makers on the lessons from devolution, including keynote speeches by the Former Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, and the Former First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford.

Speakers:

1999 saw the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Senedd all meet in their full form for the first time. This marked the most significant act of devolution of the 20th Century, and it has changed the United Kingdom significantly over the past quarter of a century. The process of devolution has continued to evolve, with the extent of the devolution of economic powers building over time. And those powers have been used, with different tax, spending, and social security choices made across the nations. As devolution hits its 25th birthday, now is the time to take stock of what has been done, and what has been learned.

How have devolved nations used policy levers differently, whether to raise revenue or address priorities like reducing child poverty? Have different growth strategies been pursued across the nations, and what are the different approaches to strategic economic policy making? Has devolution of economic powers gone too far or not far enough? And what lessons can policy makers in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Westminster learn from devolution so far – and from each other – to improve economic decision making across the whole United Kingdom?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting a major conference, in partnership with PolicyWISE, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We will hear from leading politicians, economists and policy makers on the lessons from devolution, including keynote speeches by the Former Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, and the Former First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford.

Over one-in-ten workers across Britain is employed on some form of precarious contract. The problems with such working arrangements for some workers are well known: they have limited control over their working patterns and insecure incomes too. But why firms use, or even come to rely on them, is rarely discussed and poorly understand. We need a far better understanding of both the causes of precarious employment and the consequences if work practices were to change.

What kinds of firms and sectors are most likely to employ staff on precarious contracts? Does that vary across different types of employment, from fixed term to zero hour contracts? Do firms choose this approach to better serve their customers, give workers the flexibility they want, or does it boil down to the bottom line? What would it take for firms to change their approach – and what would the consequences be?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate these questions, and share new evidence from a specially commissioned survey of firms. Following a presentation of this research, which marks the start of a major new project on precarious work, supported by Unbound Philanthropy, we will hear from leading experts from the world of business on firms’ use of insecure contracts.

Read the report here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/firm-foundations/ 

View the slides from the event here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/precarious-profits/ 

The UK’s transition towards a net zero economy requires a complete overhaul of our power sector. We don’t just need electricity generation that has been decarbonised, but a huge amount more of it as we switch away from heating our homes with gas and powering our cars with petrol. This will require a huge step up in investment – we must raise wind turbines, build nuclear power stations and expand the national grid. And that investment will need to be paid for.

How big is the investment required to decarbonise our energy systems? What will it cost – and how will that cost vary depending on the choices we make and the interest rates markets charge? How big is the impact on household bills likely to be? And what will it take to ensure the costs and benefits are spread fairly across society?

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 new research on how the power sector can be decarbonised in a fair and efficacious way, we will hear from leading experts on how they think the UK can rise to this challenge.

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/electric-dreams/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/powering-britain/ 

Universal Credit, announced back in 2010 and introduced in 2013, will be fully rolled out by whoever wins the next election. The benefit has been on a rollercoaster over those years – with the IT underpinning it causing major teething problems, and later success in processing unprecedented numbers of claims during the pandemic. In the long years since Universal Credit was planned, both the system and Britain have changed a lot. So now is the time to step back and review the system the next government will inherit.

How has the eventual form Universal Credit has taken differed from the system of legacy benefits it replaced? Has Britain changed since 2010 and how has that affected Universal Credit – including which groups the benefit supports? Who wins and loses from the switch, and how has that been shaped by wider cuts to social security in recent years? And what comes next, for Universal Credit and Britain’s social security system more broadly?

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 new research assessing the rollout of Universal Credit so far, we will hear from leading experts on what the future of social security in the UK might look like.

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/in-credit/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/in-credit/