This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation asks how should Britain buy and sell in a turbulent world? Recently the UK has faced tough times in trade, juggling twin shocks of Brexit and Covid. While service exports have stayed strong, goods trade has struggled. With a possible further disruption to goods trade around...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform argues that the EU should lead industrial decarbonisation by pairing CBAM with actions to support clean industrial investments in least developed and developing countries. With its new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU will impose the same carbon price on both domestic and...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how government can set up public bodies better. As government priorities change, particularly after a general election, there is often a need to set up new institutions to deliver on those priorities. Public bodies can be well placed to do this. If set...

This report from UK think tank RUSI examines the UK’s role as a financial and trading hub for the mining industry, and a centre of sustainability and international development expertise.. The UK government has emphasised the importance of ‘levelling the playing field’ for responsible companies to mitigate environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks affecting the...

This report from UK think tank Onward looks at how startups can put Britain back in business. Britain can unlock a new generation of entrepreneurs and inspire growth among small businesses with major reforms to tax, regulations and lending. Too many small British businesses are unable to grow, leaving the country reliant on 1% of...

This report from UK think tank Civitas examines what a coherent UK policy towards China would look like. China is becoming the most serious challenge to UK and the West, due to its economic growth, military strength, and fast-developing foreign policy in relation to its territorial claims and record on human rights. These developments are...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform argues that the EU should deepen trade ties with the US and boost transatlantic co-operation. The EU-US economic relationship is the world’s most important. For the European economy, the US election has high stakes. The CER’s new policy brief ‘Surviving Trump 2.0: What does...

This report from UK think tank IIED explores the vulnerabilities of cotton farmers in the Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. India is the world’s largest cotton producer, accounting for nearly a quarter of global production. The cotton sector is crucial for India’s economy and supports the livelihoods of approximately six million farmers. However, climate...

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute looks at policies for a better Britain. This discussion paper stands back from the constant cut-and-thrust and point-scoring of everyday politics to examine what a better Britain might look like if some of its problems were addressed by imaginative and long-term solutions. As it shows,...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation sizes up the new Government’s growth agenda as it sets out to make the country the fastest-growing in the G7. This briefing note sizes up the new Government’s growth agenda as it sets out to make the country the fastest-growing in the G7. We explore the...

This report from UK think tank the British Foreign Policy Group explores the British public’s support for the new Government’s ambitions for a ‘reconnected’ Britain. As the new Government settles in, this year’s BFPG Annual Survey of UK Public Opinion on Foreign Policy, the sixth edition of the survey, explores the British public’s support for...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at Draghi's plan to rescue the European economy. Mario Draghi has just launched his long-awaited report on the ailing European economy. The report should serve as a wake-up call to EU leaders who have long failed to confront Europe’s declining growth rate head-on....

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...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies calls for any decisions about the UK’s future relationship with the EU to be based on current realities. The Labour government may be seeking a ‘reset’ of relations in the UK-EU relationship but Keir Starmer should resist calls to rejoin the EU, Single Market,...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society explores strategies for Five Eyes Alliance countries to diversify away from China for the importing of rare earth elements. This report explores strategies for Five Eyes Alliance countries (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to diversify away from China for...

The growth and extent of world trade is staggering. In 1950, trade accounted for just 8.6% of world output (GDP). By 2008 it accounted for an astonishing 60% of world GDP, involving $20 trillion in goods and over $5 trillion in services. Despite setbacks — financial crises, wars (including Trump-style trade wars) and even pandemics...