Policy area: Business

Reports

Inflation, profits and market power

This report from UK think tank IPPR proposes major policy shifts and argues in favour of a new direction for competition policy. In the aftermath of the pandemic, as the global economy rebounded it was accompanied by a dramatic rise in inflation, reaching levels not seen since the 1970s, peaking at 9 and 11 per...

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City region employment profiles

This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation takes a deep dive into insecure work and employment. New analysis that builds on research presented in our recent ‘Delivering Levelling Up? How secure work can reduce regional inequality’ report and takes a deep dive into insecure work and employment in nine Mayoral Combined Authorities, Greater...

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Pension power

This report from UK think tank Onward explores why the UK pension system under-invests in the tech sector and what can be done to address this. The UK has a chronic pension investment problem, leaving British innovators cash-strapped and preventing savers from cashing in on successful start-ups. Britons’ retirement savings make up a mere 10%...

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Managing insecurity: the role of good management

This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation looks at the critical role that good management practices can play in mitigating job insecurity. Insecure workers who feel they are treated well at work are 7.5 times more likely to be satisfied with their job. This research, employing a mix-method approach, examines the critical role...

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Putting intensive farming out to pasture

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at whether alternative proteins can reduce farmed animal suffering. The market for meat alternatives has grown rapidly over the last decade, yet they still only account for 1% of the global meat market. This SMF report, the third and final instalment of a series,...

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The scale of the opportunity

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation digs deeper into the characteristics of ‘scale-ups’ and their significant contribution to the British economy. Building on the findings of a previous SMF report (Full Scale, published in September 2023) investigating the barriers to the expansion of ‘scale-ups’, this briefing digs deeper into the characteristics...

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Anti-money-laundering enablers

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at the four key challenges and how to address them. Kathryn Westmore In the report, Kathryn outlines how the legal and accounting industries have faced mounting criticism over their apparent failure to effectively prevent and detect illicit actors’ money laundering activities, particularly in the wake of the full-scale...

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Natural gas and the Energy Trilemma

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines the role of natural gas in the energy trilemma. In this report we examine the role of natural gas in the Energy Trilemma, focusing specifically on the situation in the United Kingdom. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many countries found themselves in an energy...

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From missed chances to green advances: the case for a green industrial strategy

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at the case for a green industrial strategy. The transition to net zero is the economic opportunity of the 21st century. But claims of UK leadership in capturing the economic benefits of the transition to a green economy are wide of the mark. While the UK has...

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Fairer winds: workers’ rights in the age of transition

This report by UK think tank IPPR looks at how the UK can learn from the successes and failures of fair transition policies in the US and EU. Countries around the world are starting to build just transition principles into state-led green industrial strategies. Advanced economies, including the US and the EU’s member states, are...

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Inn-valuable

This report from UK think tank Localis looks at the value of pubs to society and to the economy. Across Britain, pubs have long stood as familiar and welcoming landmarks. Their significance goes beyond mere watering holes; they have consistently played a pivotal role in knitting communities together and promoting social cohesion. Inn-valuable looks at...

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Full scale: how to ensure more British firms grow to their potential

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation highlights other barriers holding UK businesses back from expanding. The UK is an attractive place to start a business, but those start-ups find it harder than in other countries to scale up. This SMF report looks beyond the issue of access to capital to highlight...

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Powering up the UK battery industry

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance canvasses industry leaders to understand the challenges and opportunities facing the market. As the UK’s car manufacturing sector gears up to produce electric vehicles, attention is turning to the battery supply chains needed for the car industry to thrive. We surveyed and spoke to industry leaders to...

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Innovation hotspots: Clustering the New Economy

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Cities looks at the UK’s 344 innovation hotspots and their potential to address the UK’s sluggish productivity growth. The UK is home to 344 innovative hotspots, with clustered New Economy firms accounting for approximately £18.5 billion and 200,000 jobs to the national economy. Although the clustered...

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Working together

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at how to work towards a new public employment service. The UK’s employment support system is characterised by three core flaws. It is failing to meet the needs of our current or future economy. Extrinsic motivation is crowding out personal ambitions. Provision is too narrow and focussed...

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Related Events

12 December 2023

Location: Central Westminster

Think tank: Onward

Maximum impact

This event hosted by UK think tank Onward will discuss the metrics by which success will be measured and how they are defined.  Science and technology underpin the Government’s plans to deliver growth, prosperity and opportunity across the country. This has led the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to start translating these commitments into...

12 December 2023

Location: Online

Think tank: The Work Foundation

How can the UK recover from record sickness levels?

This event hosted by UK think tank the Work Foundation will discuss the challenges of economic inactivity linked to long-term illnesses. Throughout the course of 2023 it has become painfully clear that the UK has a sickness issue – indeed there are now over 2.5 million individuals opting out of the labour market altogether due...