Policy area: Economics

Reports

Devolution and urban regeneration: How can metro mayors transform England’s towns and cities?

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government outlines what powers are available to metro mayors to drive regeneration. The regeneration of disused, deprived and deindustrialised urban areas across England will be crucial to the government’s ability to achieve its economic growth targets. It will also bring other benefits, like reducing regional inequality...

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Back from the brink

This report from UK think tank Reform argues that only a whole-system approach can deliver a sustainable path forward. Local authorities are not just administrators of public services. They are crucial agents of social and economic stability within their communities. However, their ability to fulfil this role has been severely compromised. Local government in England...

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Pregnant then blue?

This report from UK think tank Pro Bono Economics highlights the potential of targeted, evidence-based interventions to address maternal mental health effectively. Maternal mental health: Evidence for policy action. The early years of a child’s life are critical but challenging for mothers, with up to 1 in 5 new and expectant mothers experiencing depression. Many...

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Restarting housebuilding I: Planning reform and the private sector

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities investigates whether the current planning system has seen private housebuilding reach rates high enough to meet the new national target. Using newly available data on English housebuilding by local authority since 1946, digitised by Centre for Cities, this report investigates whether the current planning system has...

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French lessons for Britain’s economy

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform finds that macro-economic forces have been crucial to the bigger productivity slowdown in Britain. Average wages in Britain are only slightly higher than they were in 2007. That extraordinary fact is down to extremely weak productivity growth after 2008. France, on the other hand,...

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Digital skills demand and shortages and their impact in UK regional economies

This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines the demand and shortages of digital skills across the UK, highlighting an increasing necessity for these skills. This research report examines the demand and shortages of digital skills across the UK, highlighting an increasing necessity for these skills in various regions, sectors, and occupations. From 2012 to...

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Demonstrating the economic impacts of civic universities

This report from UK think tank City-REDI aims to understand how universities are currently measuring their civic economic impact. The purpose of this report is to understand how universities are currently measuring their civic economic impact. Universities are not fully embedding their civic economic impact within their strategic framework and decision making. An economic impact...

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Mind, body and connection

This report from UK think tank Pro Bono Economics looks at low wellbeing in the UK in 2024. How is the UK doing? It is a question that is hard to answer. On the one hand, the UK remains one of the richest countries in the world and has enjoyed a prolonged period of peace...

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Inequality control

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation explores why wealth inequality has not increased while asset prices have soared and what that means for the future. The turbulent 2020s have had profound implications for household wealth in Britain: lockdowns pushed saving to unprecedented highs, asset prices surged and then tanked, and high inflation...

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Earning vs owning: Rescuing opportunity in the asset economy

This report from UK think tank IPPR puts forward a new typology of wealth and expands the conversation from wealth tax to a broader range of policy instruments. Life chances are increasingly determined by what you inherit, not what you do. But what can we do about it? More people own assets today than in...

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Fixing the foundations: A communities strategy for Britain

This report from UK think tank Power to Change explores community cohesion, empowerment and growth in response to the riots across the UK this summer. Torn social fabric lay behind disorder this summer. The government’s communities policy must move from responding to crisis to consistency. We know community cohesion is back on the agenda for...

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Why a circular economy is good for people

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance outlines five reasons why a circular economy is good for people. In a circular economy materials are kept in use for as long as possible, reducing the need for new resources and minimising environmental impacts from extraction to disposal. This approach not only benefits the environment but...

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Spending time: The role of the visitor economy in UK cities

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities provides a comprehensive picture of domestic visitor spending across the UK. This report provides a comprehensive picture of domestic visitor spending across the UK’s 63 largest cities for the first time, and sets out the ‘visitor offer’ in each place and how that compares nationally.

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Why a circular economy is good for business

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance outlines five reasons why a circular economy is good for business. In a circular economy materials are kept in use for as long as possible, reducing the need for new resources and minimising environmental impacts from extraction to disposal. This approach not only benefits the environment but...

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Birmingham economic review

This report from UK think tank City-REDI explores the economy of England’s second city and a high-quality resource for informing research, policy and investment decisions. The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and a...

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Related Events

15 January 2025

Location: 2 Dean Trench Street, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HE

Think tank: National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR)

Social murder? Austerity and life expectancy in the UK

This event hosted by UK think tank NIESR will discuss ''Social Murder? Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK', which details the impacts of UK Government austerity policies on health. In this public event, Professor Gerard McCartney and Dr David Walsh, both from the University of Glasgow, will launch their latest book 'Social Murder? Austerity...

20 January 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: Centre for Cities

Cities Outlook 2025 – online launch briefing

This event hosted by UK think tank Centre for Cities for an in-depth look at the findings from Cities Outlook 2025, the 18th edition of their annual flagship publication. Join Centre for Cities for an in-depth look at the findings from Cities Outlook 2025, the 18th edition of our annual flagship publication. Cities Outlook 2025 will provide...

20 January 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: Chatham House

US-China: Grand bargain or collision course?

This event hosted by UK think tank Chatham House will discuss the implications of a second Trump administration on US-China geopolitical competition. The US and China are vying for global influence and economic and technological dominance. Incoming US President Donald Trump has emphasized his desire to prioritise US economic and national security interests.Key questions this...

22 January 2025

Location: IEA 2 Lord North Street ( entrance on Great Peter Street) London SW1 3LB

Think tank: Institute of Economic Affairs

Food for thought with Dr Roberto Fumagalli

This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Economic Affairs will discuss preference-based approaches to welfare evaluations in public policy. About the discussion This paper combines insights from welfare economics, political philosophy and cross-disciplinary well-being research to defend preference-based approaches to welfare evaluations in public policy against a series of influential objections. The paper explicates and addresses in...

22 January 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: UK in a Changing Europe

Trump and foreign policy: a brave new world?

This event hosted by UK think tank UK in a Changing Europe will discuss how Donald Trump's second term may impact countries around the world. On Monday 20 January 2025, Donald Trump will begin his second term as the 47th President of the United States, with a strong mandate and unrestrained by other branches of...

23 January 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: Institute for Fiscal Studies

Ethnicity gaps in pension participation

This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies presents new findings exploring ethnic gaps in pension participation rates following the rollout of automatic enrolment. The introduction of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions between 2012 and 2018 significantly boosted pension participation in the UK, helping to narrow gaps in participation between men...

29 January 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: Centre for Cities

Cities Outlook 2025 deep dive: North West

This event hosted by UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at the data for the North West of England, differences within the region and how it compares to other parts of the country. Cities Outlook is Centre for Cities’ annual health check of the UK’s largest cities and towns, covering a range of indicators...

4 February 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: Centre for Cities

Cities Outlook 2025 deep dive: Wales

This event hosted by UK think tank Centre for Cities will look at the data for Wales, differences within the country and how it compares to other places in the UK. Cities Outlook is Centre for Cities’ annual health check of the UK’s largest cities and towns, covering a range of indicators including productivity, housing...

5 February 2025

Location: Online

Think tank: Centre for Cities

Cities Outlook 2025 deep dive: Yorkshire & the Humber

This event hosted by UK think tank Centre for Cities will look at the data for the North East of England, differences within the region and how it compares to other parts of the country. Cities Outlook is Centre for Cities’ annual health check of the UK’s largest cities and towns, covering a range of...

3 March 2025

Location: Online / Institute for Government, 2 Carlton Gardens, London SW1Y 5AA

Think tank: Institute for Government

How can the government help boost growth in the science-based industries?

This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Government will explore how science and innovation can drive economic growth and productivity. As part of its mission to make the UK the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the government has embarked upon a new industrial strategy. Science and innovation feature prominently, with life sciences...

Related Articles

What would be the one thing you would include in the Spring Budget?

Ahead of the Spring Budget we asked a range of think tanks what would be the one thing they would focus on and include. Don't overcomplicate the cost of living response, just give people cash By Dr Aveek Bhattacharya (Social Market Foundation) In January, with inflation growing and the energy price cap set to rise,...

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How can the UK’s industrial strategy support the ‘levelling up’ agenda?

'Levelling up' has become one of the big agenda items for this government but how can it be helped by industrial strategy? Use the Spending Review and R&D Place Strategy to increase support for business innovation in lagging regions By James Blagden (Onward) In recent decades the UK’s regions have diverged so much that we...

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