Resolution Foundation Podcasts

British firms are still adjusting to the Brexit shock that has affected UK firms’ ability to trade with our biggest trading partner bloc. Now a new shock is looming from the country we trade most with via threats of universal tariffs from the President-Elect Donald Trump. But the impact of these huge trade shocks will differ across different sectors, and across importing and exporting firms. Understanding where the UK’s trade strengths and vulnerabilities lie will be crucial as the Government develops a new trade strategy for the decade ahead. Which sectors have been vulnerable to recent shocks, and which have continued to grow? How have firms responded to Brexit in the way they trade, and what does this mean for people’s lived experience of trade trends? Is Britain’s status as a services superpower under threat? And what does this mean for the Government’s new UK trade strategy that can navigate a post-Brexit, intra-Trump world? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to deb

British household wealth has been on a rollercoaster ride in recent years. Increased saving during the Covid-19 pandemic boosted wealth, only for interest rate rises during the cost-of-living crisis to wipe out wealth gains. Since the late 1970s overall measures of wealth inequality have been relatively stable. But this hides big changes in wealth gaps both within generations, and between them. And as wealth is passed down through generations, the state of wealth in Britain today has huge implications for current and future living standards, for young, old and middle-aged alike. How has recent economic turbulence affected Britain’s story of growing wealth, and growing wealth gaps? How have higher interest rates affected wealth inequality, and how might wealth transfers through inheritances and gifts affect future trends? What are the long-term implications for continued wealth inequality, particularly for younger generations? And is there a role for policy in tempering these trends?

Transfers between generations – from care given to younger or older relatives, to gifts, inheritances and a roof over one’s head – play a vital role in society. But despite their importance to family living standards, they are often misunderstood. If we’re to better appreciate how modern Britain operates, we need to understand the economic significance of these intergenerational transfers, and what they mean for individuals and families. How has the extent and intensity of care provided across generations changed over time, and for what reasons? Have demographic and economic changes increased the need for intergenerational support? Who can access intergenerational financial support, and who provides it? And what does this mean for different people’s ability to work, live comfortably and get ahead in a career? Speakers: Ann Berrington, Professor of Demography & Social Statistics University of Southampton Eliza Filby, Author and historian of generations and contemporary values Molly Broome, Economist, Resol

There are around 13 million low-to-middle income families across Britain today. This diverse group of families are at the heart of the country’s economic prospects, and any government’s political mandate. And yet they are poorly understood – who they are, how their lives have changed, and the stresses and strains they are under. In order to better understand low-to-middle income Britain, the Resolution Foundation is launching a new 12-month project –with support from JPMorganChase – which will also investigate what can be done to boost their living standards.  The Unsung Britain project was launched with new research, and a speech by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook at an event at our Westminster offices. Speakers: Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning Polly Toynbee, Author and Columnist at The Guardian Abigail McKnight, Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the LSE Lalitha Try, Economist at the Resolution Foundation Gavin Kelly, Executive Chair of the Resolution

The first Budget of the new Parliament is a particularly important one, giving the Chancellor a unique opportunity to set the economic framing for the next five years. It’s also often a chance to take painful decisions – post-election tax rises are a time-honoured tradition.  The Resolution Foundation hosted its traditional ‘morning after the night before’ event to debate and answer questions about the Budget. Following a presentation of the key highlights from its overnight analysis of Autumn Budget 2024, we heard from leading experts – including the Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility Richard Hughes.

The next big hurdle on Britain’s path towards a green economy is decarbonising every-day travel. Emissions from getting around – from cars, vans, buses, trains and planes – make up the greatest share of the country’s carbon footprint, and have hardly shrunk in the past decade. So, if we want to go green, we need to overhaul the ways in which families get from A to B. Moving from polluting petrol to cheaper electric vehicles (EVs), ensuring lower income families can access EVs or affordable public transport, and that flying pays its way, are vital if the transition is to achieve widespread public consent and support. How can we support lower-income families to access EVs which are more expensive at the point of purchase, but cheaper to run? Will public transport continue to get more expensive relative to driving in the future, and if so how can we support families who don’t or can’t drive? And with high emissions flights bouncing back after the pandemic, how can we ensure that frequent flyers pay their way in

Painful post-election Budgets are a time-honoured tradition in Britain, and the new Government’s upcoming fiscal event will be no exception, with the PM and Chancellor already warning of tough decisions being made. Expectations are being set for higher taxes, higher borrowing or lower spending – or perhaps a combination of all three. What tax and spend decisions might the Chancellor consider in order to put the public finances on a more even keel, and what might this mean for family finances? Can the tough medicine in the Budget be squared with the need to kickstart growth? How might the new Government navigate the politics of a post-election Budget? And what could this mean for the rest of the Parliament? 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 – the last in a five-part series about the economic challenges facing the new Government – we will hear from leading experts on the

One of the key goals of the Pensions Commission, published almost two decades ago, was to reform pension saving so that more people were encouraged to save enough for a decent income in retirement. The main policy recommendation of the Commission – auto-enrolment – has been rolled out and ramped up since then, and in doing so has completely transformed the savings landscape across Britain. But is it meeting the key goal of boosting pensions adequacy? How much do people need to save for a decent income in retirement, and how does it vary across the income distribution? How have the pensions adequacy targets suggested by the Pensions Commission back in 2006 been affected by policy and economic changes since then – from taxes and the triple lock, to interest rates and annuities? Are people saving enough for their retirement now? And what does that mean for the new Government’s pensions review? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Followin

Britain has left the EU almost five years ago, and the economic damage – particularly when it comes to trade – is now clear. The new Government has put resetting UK-EU relations at the heart of its growth mission. But the concrete actions announced so far are unlikely to make much difference. A far more ambitious approach to rebooting our trading relations will be needed to really shift the economic dial. How much difference will reducing uncertainty make, compared to actively removing barriers to trade? Should the UK pursue closer regulatory alignment with the EU, and if so which sectors should be prioritised? What meaningful changes can be made within the UK protocol, and where might the UK need to rethink existing agreements? And how much is both economically and politically feasible? The Resolution Foundation and UK in a Changing Europe are co-hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new Resolution Foundation res

The UK has made progress in addressing societal inequalities, but continues to be shaped by interlinked structural disparities. That includes those related to gender, race, class, sexuality, age and disability. Five years ago, the Resolution Foundation and UCL collaborated on a commission exploring the interactions between these inequalities. Since then, the UK has gone through significant challenges, including a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis, so how have UK inequalities evolved? How have disadvantaged groups been affected by recent economic shocks, and what structural barriers persist? How do the issues of health and disability – which have risen up the political and public policy agenda – interact with other inequalities? And how do structural inequalities fit into the new Government’s agenda, and what key policy challenges must they address? The Resolution Foundation, in partnership with UCL, hosted a webinar to explore these important questions. After presenting the key findings from the Structural

The past 15 years of economic stagnation has caused families’ living standards to flatline, and the new Government is right to put ‘kickstarting’ growth at the heart of its agenda. Already, Ministers have set out what many of their pro-growth reforms will be – from reforming planning rules to delivering 1.5 million homes, to setting up Great British Energy, devolving more power to City mayors, and creating a new deal for workers. Delivering these policies is a huge challenge in itself – but will they do enough to kickstart growth? How big an effect can these reforms have on growth and productivity? How can policy makers ensure the biggest economic bang for their buck? Are there important pro-growth reforms that the Government is missing out on? And what might the combined, long-term effect of these reforms look like in terms of the size of the UK economy by the end of the decade?

The new Government has set an ambitious target of delivering 1.5 million new homes over a five-year period – at a rate that hasn’t been achieved since the 1960s  – and has put planning reform at the heart of its agenda. But successive governments have aimed high, but delivered low, when it comes to housebuilding. Overcoming this record will require a lot of capital expenditure, in both political and cash terms. What are the devils in the detail when it comes to getting controversial planning reforms right? What other interventions might be needed to enable firms to build new properties at scale? Where should new homes be built, and what role should social housing play? And how will future homeowners – and their neighbours – be affected by a successful housebuilding drive?

The Chancellor has set the date for the first Budget of Labour’s Government – 30th October – and has emphasised the stark fiscal difficulties facing the country, even if she goes ahead with the £23 billion a year of future tax rises announced by her predecessor but not yet implemented.    What can we expect on tax in the upcoming Budget? How will the Chancellor navigate tax policies that may be economically sound but politically challenging?    Catch up on this Resolution Foundation event now. 

The Government has come into office promising major workplace reforms that could amount to the biggest shake-up of the workplace in a generation. The ‘New Deal for Working People’ pledged a number of reforms, including to unfair dismissal, sick pay, employment status, zero hours contracts, the minimum wage, as well as changes to how employment rights are enforced. And while many of these reforms affect all workers, low earners will be most affected as they are disproportionately likely to have insecure work contracts, receive statutory rather than occupational sick pay, and not receive basic legal entitlements such as paid holiday leave. But, although the Government has set a clear direction of travel, there are many questions still unanswered. How will probationary periods be used – will protection against unfair dismissal really be a ‘day one’ right? Does announcing a cautious one-year minimum wage policy mean there are bigger changes still to come? How should possible trade-offs with employment be handled?

The last Parliament was truly awful for growth in household living standards. The combination of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis left the country on course for the worst parliament for disposable income growth since the early 1950s. But while the possibility of future growth remains, it currently looks set to fall a long way short of the levels Britain experienced in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. What is the overall outlook for living standards over the parliament? From real wages, to employment, housing costs and tax and benefit changes, what is driving the outlook for disposable income growth? Which groups are most likely to receiving a living standards windfall, and who’s most at risk of further stagnation? And what can the new Government do to ‘beat the forecasts’ and secure strong living standards growth across Britain?

The new Labour Government says it wants clean energy – and wider action on climate change – at the heart of its new economic strategy, pledging to go further and faster on decarbonising electricity, insulating homes, and shifting to electric vehicles than plans in the previous parliament. These changes will facilitate economic growth and climate recovery in the long run, but the short-term costs in both political and actual capital investment should not be underestimated, and will need to be carefully considered. In particular, the Government should be acting now to ensure the costs are fairly shared, and do not lead to further declines in living standards for low-to-middle income households. What scale of public investment can be achieved, given the condition of the public finances? How should the Government encourage the levels of private investment required? How can these costs be fairly shared across different regions and households? And will there be enough political will to deliver the investment needed

Labour has returned to power in Westminster for the first time in 14 years. The new Government has a big electoral mandate but faces a momentous task in delivering lasting economic and social change. From kickstarting growth and reducing poverty, to reforming the planning system, energy market and workplace conditions, Labour’s agenda is fraught with political and economic risk. Yet it also arrives in office with a commanding majority and the opportunity to set out an ambitious governing agenda. What are the biggest challenges that the new Government faces? How should the new Chancellor approach her first Budget and Spending Review? When should we expect Labour’s extensive list of reforms and new strategies to start making a difference to people’s lives? And what are the prospects of the Starmer government forging a new political and economic settlement in the country? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Bringing together a panel of B

Since 2010, Britain’s labour market has gone through a period of boom and bust – with record jobs growth in the last decade followed by a struggle to return to pre-pandemic employment rates in the 2020s. And while the country has experienced an unprecedented pay depression, a rising minimum wage has driven down low pay to its lowest level in decades. Debates about that record, and different parties proposals for the future, are central to this general election. How has Britain’s labour market changed since 2010? How well have we dealt with the big issues of the past? What will be the most immediate challenges facing whoever takes office after 4th July? And how do the different parties plans measure up against those challenges? Where are the big areas of conflict and consensus? And what does this mean for workers? 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 its latest General Election 24 brie

Health-related benefit spending is rising – particularly among children and younger adults – and this increase is forecast to accelerate in the years ahead. With record numbers of people claiming disability benefits, incapacity benefits or both, there are serious questions to answer about what lies behind this trend and its impact on the health of those affected, the public finances and the wider economy. Worryingly, too often the understanding of this change is poor, posing a major challenge for whoever governs after the election. What is driving the rise in health-related benefit spending? Is it the inevitable consequence of an ageing society, a sign that we are a sicker Britain than we used to be or have changes to the benefit system over the last 14 years played a role? How big an issue could this be over the next parliament, and how are the main political parties planning to address it? The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Followi

Britain’s welfare system has undergone a major overhaul over the past decade, with major reforms as well as major cuts. In more recent years it’s faced unprecedented pressures, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis. The social security system is at the heart of many general election debates, and this one looks set to be no exception. How has our social security system changed since 2010? Who has gained or lost out from these changes? What are the main challenges facing Britain’s welfare today and in the years ahead – from an ageing population, to high levels of child poverty? And what are the main parties’ plans for the future of our welfare state? 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 its latest General Election 24 briefing on the UK’s changing welfare state, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we will hear from leading experts on where these reforms have left our soc