Resolution Foundation Events Podcast

Disruption nation: How economic and political change has shaped our world

Book launch for Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century by Helen Thompson
The 21st century has witnessed huge shocks across the world, with far-reaching consequences for our economies and democracies. But this should not come as a surprise, as unresolved issues – from energy and trade, to growth and migration – have been accumulating for decades. And with the impacts of Brexit and the pandemic starting to become apparent, combined with the challenges of the net zero transition, more disruption is to follow.
How have past periods of dramatic change – such as the energy crises of 1970s or the global financial crisis – shaped our modern world? What can we learn about our economic and political future from the changes brought about by Brexit and the pandemic so far? And how much scope do we have to shape the economic, geopolitical and democratic changes to come?
As part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, the Resolution Foundation is hosting a book launch for Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century by Professor Helen Thompson. We will discuss how geopolitical and economic events from recent decades have contributed to the state of the world today, and what that means for the UK as it wrestles with economic change in the 2020s.
Watch the event back here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/disruption-nation/ 

A firm solution? How businesses can rise to the challenges facing Britain in this decisive decade

Britain is facing a decisive decade of economic change as technological change combines with Covid, Brexit and the rapid transition towards a net zero economy. These challenges are set against a backdrop of rapid demographic shifts, and a legacy of low productivity and high inequality.
Business will find themselves at the heart of this seismic economic change, and could play a decisive role alongside Government and wider society in helping to navigate the country through this decisive decade.
Are British firms ready for the scale of change to come ? What role and responsibility does business have in solving the problems and seizing the opportunities change can bring? And what lessons can be drawn from a business that was built on a purpose of trying to make the world ‘a bit happier’?
As part of its ongoing Economy 2030 Inquiry with the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE, the Resolution Foundation is hosting a keynote lecture by the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership Sharon White on this topic. Sharon will be by joined by author and former Treasury Minister Jesse Norman MP, alongside Lord Willetts, to discuss the role of business in navigating Britain through the 2020s, before an interactive audience Q&A.
Watch the event here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/a-firm-solution/ 

On the road: How will post-Brexit migration changes change Britain?

Migration has been centre stage in economic debates this century. For some higher migration is the root cause of Britain’s low pay, low productivity challenges, while for others it is the answer to labour and skill shortages. The Prime Minister argues lower migration is the route to the UK having a higher wage future. The 2016 vote to leave the EU meant big migration changes were coming, but they have now arrived with a new post-Brexit migration regime and a pandemic combining to turbo-charge change.
How did higher migration change Britain’s labour market in the first two decades of the 21st century? What might recent shifts in migration policy mean for the nature of our economy post-pandemic? How might firms reliant on migrant labour respond to less access to it? And what does this mean for the UK’s economic strategy going forward?
The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and discuss these questions. Following a presentation of highlights from new Resolution Foundation research for The Economy 2030 Inquiry on how migration drives and shapes economic change, we will hear from a panel of experts on the issue, before an interactive audience Q&A.
Read the report: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/under-new-management/ 
Find the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/on-the-road/ 

Pressure points: Why the state is getting bigger and what we do about it

The UK that exits the pandemic has a bigger state than the one that went into it. The 2020s will bring further pressure for the state to grow or our tax revenues to shrink, including from our ageing society and net zero ambitions. But previous approaches to responding to such pressure – from shrinking the military to further tax rises on workers – may not be available as they once were.
What are the big forces driving change in the size and shape of the state in the decade ahead? How has the country responded to such shifts before? What choices does the Treasury have in managing fiscal headwinds and tailwinds this time? What does this mean for those relying on public services and taxpayers?
The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, funded by the Nuffield Foundation – to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new Resolution Foundation on the pressures facing the public finances during the coming decade of change we will hear from leading experts on this issue, including former Chancellor Alistair Darling.
Read the report: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/under-pressure/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/pressure-points/ 

Family fortunes: How intergenerational giving is changing us

Inheritances have always been used to give relatives a financial boost. But they look set to be a growing part of 21st Century Britain as household wealth booms, particularly for older cohorts. This brings with it change for younger people, whose lifetime living standards may increasingly be shaped by the inheritances or gifts they receive rather than income they earn. It also brings change for those giving, who face big decisions about how and when to pass wealth on.
How has the gifting of wealth between generations changed over recent years? Who is the most likely to give and receive inheritances and financial gifts? How does receiving financial support from relatives affect people’s decisions, such as whether to purchase a house or change jobs? And what changes do people planning to financially support relatives make to improve their ability to do so?
The Resolution Foundation, in partnership with the Family Building Society, is hosting an interactive webinar to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new Resolution Foundation research on this topic, we will hear from a leading panel of experts on the scale and nature of intergenerational wealth transfers, and how these transfers affect people’s lives and behaviour.
Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/intergenerational-rapport-fair/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/family-fortunes-2022/ 

Pivot Pivot! Assessing the UK’s new Indo-Pacific trade focus

The UK’s exit from the EU has given it the freedom to pursue an independent trade strategy for the first time in four decades. To date, post-Brexit trade debate has focused on lost access to EU markets, roll-over deals preserving the status quo, and a lack of progress with the US. But the start of trade negotiations with India last week marks an attempt to start a fresh chapter in the UK’s trade strategy – a pivot towards distant but fast growing markets of the Indo-Pacific region.
What are the big opportunities from pursing a new Asia-focused trade strategy? Which sectors would be most exposed to increased competition? How much difference could trade liberalisation with India make? And how does the current focus on manufacturing gains square with two of the world’s largest major services exporters liberalising trade?
The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, funded by the Nuffield Foundation – to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new Resolution Foundation on the UK’s trade pivot towards the Indo-Pacific region, we will hear from leading experts on the opportunities and challenges from this new strategy.
Read the report: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/a-presage-to-india/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/pivot-pivot/ 

Beyond Beveridge: Have social security shifts prepared us for economic change?

The modern welfare state is approaching its 75th anniversary, but continual reforms and wider economic change mean that it bears little resemblance to the system first envisaged by William Beveridge. And it faces new challenges, with Covid, Brexit and net zero – coupled with rapid demographic and technological change – set to reshape our economy in the 2020s.
What changes has the welfare state seen in recent decades? How strong is our basic safety net? What protection exists for those temporarily falling on hard times? How well suited is our social security system for the big economic changes of the 2020s? And how can the UK’s safety net be strengthened?
The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, a joint project with the Centre for Economic Performance at the LSE, and funded by the Nuffield Foundation – to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of new research on how the welfare system has changed in recent decades, and may need to change over the coming decade, we will hear from leading experts Minouche Shafik and Nick Timmins on how our shifting social security copes with economic change.
Read the report: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/social-insecurity/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/beyond-beveridge/ 

New year, old pandemic: Assessing the politics, economics and epidemiology of 2022

With Omicron cases the only thing rising faster than energy bills, 2022 is off to a difficult start. The pandemic and cost of living pressures will continue to dominate political and economic debates through 2022, but what that means for strains on the NHS and family budgets, or volatile GDP and poll ratings, is hugely uncertain.
Will the impact of Omicron get worse before it gets better, and how long might this wave last? How might Covid affect the economy in 2022 – from British jobs to global trade disruption? How will the cost of living squeeze shape our politics? And what are the unknown unknowns that we should look out for in 2022?
The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and discuss these questions. We will hear from John Burn-Murdoch, Stephanie Flanders and Stephen Bush on what will shape British politics and economics in the year ahead, before an interactive audience Q&A.
View the event slides here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/new-year-old-pandemic/