Policy area: Business

Reports

Ensuring fairness in the net zero transition

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance draws on case studies of successful transitions to greener industry in Germany’s Ruhr region and greening Sweden’s steel industry. UK industry is modernising for global competitiveness and lower climate impacts, but ensuring fairness in the process for affected workers and communities is often overlooked. Changes at the...

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SME manufacturers: Meeting the challenges of affordable energy and a skilled workforce

This report from UK think tank Civitas looks at the challenges and obstacles facing SME manufacturers. In this report, Civitas researchers surveyed a selection of small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) UK manufacturing companies to find out what their greatest challenges and obstacles are. The survey found that the two issues that most concern SME manufacturers are high...

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No Progress? Tackling long-term insecure work

This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation analyses the impact that the quality of work has on long-term employment outcomes. This report analyses the impact that the quality of work has on long-term employment outcomes. Using longitudinal data, we tracked the employment trajectories of 10,804 UK workers in secure and insecure jobs over...

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Our greatest asset: the final report of the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity

This report from UK think tank IPPR central contention contends that better health is Britain's greatest untapped route to prosperity. The nation’s health challenges have reached historic proportions, and change is needed. Led by an understanding that the boldest health reforms only come when there is a strong social and economic case for them, this...

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Small business, big world

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation explores ways to boost UK small business exports. Increasing the number of small businesses that export can be a key lever to grow the UK's economic pie. However, the UK’s recent record on small business exporting is not encouraging. This report explores three key ways...

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The great risk transfer: employment and financial wellbeing

This report from UK think tank The David Hulme Institute examines the impact of the great risk transfer on individuals and society through the changing relationship between employer and employees. This latest research which investigates the Great Risk Transfer and the changed relationship between employment and financial wellbeing, published in partnership with the Institute and...

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Healthy industry, prosperous economy

This report from UK think tank IPPR proposes a new approach to harmonise public health and industrial policy. If we want both health and prosperity, then public health and economic strategy need to work in lockstep – but this is not the case today. While there is a tendency in health policy to focus on...

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Running out of road

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at navigating the route to decarbonised business fleets. Electric vehicles are at the forefront of the green transition, improving air quality and promoting cleaner, safer roads, but much of the policy discussion focuses on consumer uptake. This report looks at electric vehicle adoption among...

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Capital improvement

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation puts forward a proposal for a new in-work poverty benchmark for London employers. This Social Market Foundation report is the culmination of a three-year project supported by Trust for London examining the scale and impact of in-work poverty in London. It proposes the creation of...

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Boosting Britain’s food exports

This report from UK think tank Civitas analyses our food exports prospects and what can we learn from Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway. This report analyses prospects for food exports, especially Asia and North America. It analyses long-term trends in the UK’s trade in food. It identifies the products in which we have...

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Going up a gear

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at raising productivity by powering up investment, work and institution The UK needs productivity growth to improve living standards. Without productivity growth, we will be economically vulnerable to recessions or stagnation, and we will likely see widening inequality, lower incomes, a smaller tax base, and,...

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A new deal for young people in the West Midlands

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice shows that a new deal is needed to unlock young people's potential and turbo charge the region's prosperity. Young people across Birmingham and the West Midlands, need a new deal for education, employment and skills in order to fully unlock their potential and turbo...

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Time off: redesigning leave policies to support longer, healthier working lives

This report from UK think tank The Work Foundation investigates whether current time-off policies are sufficient to support an older and sicker workforce stay-in work. Work Foundation analysis shows time off in the UK has become widespread, but access to it unequal. We found that 1.15 million workers are not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay...

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Rock bottom: low investment in the UK economy

This report from UK think tank IPPR discusses low investment in the UK economy. The UK’s investment performance is still worse than every other G7 country, new data shows. Compared to Japan, the USA, Germany, France, Italy and Canada, the UK languished in last place for business investment in 2022, a spot we have now...

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Cultural recovery evidence review

This report from UK think tank City-REDI brings together academic and policy literature relevant to the theme of cultural recovery. This report by James Davies, City-REDI, University of Birmingham and Abigail Gilmore, Arts Management and Cultural Policy, University of Manchester brings together academic and policy literature relevant to the theme of cultural recovery, drawing on...

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