Resolution Foundation Events Podcast

Net zeroing in on investment: Can the Government deliver a fair transition?

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 for a fair transition?
 
Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/net-zero-investment/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/net-zeroing-in-on-investment/ 

The times are a-changin’: Assessing the political and economic outlook for the new Labour Government

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 Britain’s political scientists, commentators, policy experts and economists, we’ll discuss the outlook for a new Labour Government.
View the election briefings: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/major-programme/election-2024/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/times-are-changing/ 

Is Britain working? The labour market context to the general election

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 briefing on the state of the UK labour market, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we will hear from leading experts on a range of key issues from the future of low pay to boosting the quantity and quality jobs.
Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/job-done/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/is-britain-working-2024/ 

The cost of poor health: What does rising health-related benefit spending mean for the UK and its next government?

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. Following a presentation of the key highlights from its latest General Election 24 briefing on health-related benefits, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, we will hear from leading experts on what’s driving the rise in claims and spending, previous efforts to tackle the issues, and what might lie ahead.
Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/under-strain/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/the-cost-of-poor-health/ 

The state of welfare: How has Britain’s safety net changed since 2010 and what comes next?

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 social security safety net, and why that matters for families, the public finances and the wider economy.
Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/ratchets-retrenchment-and-reform/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/the-state-of-welfare/ 

Ending stagnation: How to boost prosperity across Scotland

A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new economic strategy to lift itself out of stagnation.
Scotland is in many ways a microcosm of this challenge. It has become a hub for creative industries, is home to several world-class universities and a thriving community of businesses – strengths that need to be harness and leveraged. But it also has high levels of deprivation, with homelessness reaching a record high and nearly half a million people living in very deep poverty last year. Scotland won’t be truly thriving unless it finds ways to ensure that all its inhabitants benefit from growth and investment. This is the central challenge facing policy makers both in Holyrood and Westminster.
What should a new national economic strategy for Scotland include? What would the pursuit of stronger economic growth mean for local, national and UK-wide policy makers? How will economic change affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the businesses we work for? And what are the prospects for cities like Glasgow, and nations like Scotland, in rising to these challenges?
Read Ending Stagnation here: https://economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/reports/ending-stagnation/
View the event slides here: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/ending-stagnation-glasgow/

State crafting: Changes and challenges for managing the public finances

Tax and spend are at the heart of every general election – understandably as they represent the most significant choices made by most governments. The size and shape of the state has changed substantially since 2010. Despite spending cuts and tax rises, public debt levels are up. Whoever wins the next election will have to wrestle with the same forces, as Britain looks to deliver public services for an ageing population, in a less peaceful world, and with the public finances already under considerable strain.
How has the size and shape of the state changed since 2010? Why are taxes and debt levels up? What are the biggest challenges and opportunities going into the next parliament? How have the main parties responded so far to these questions? And what will their plans mean for the public finances, and public services, in the years ahead?
To kick off a series of over a dozen timely, topic-based General Election 2024 briefings, supported by the Nuffield Foundation, the Resolution Foundation hosted an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer questions about the changing size and shape of the state. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new research on this topic, we heard from leading experts on the challenges for the next parliament.
Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/debt-dramas/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/state-crafting/ 

Inflation scarring: How has the cost-of-living crisis changed Britain?

Economies around the world exited the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, and jumped straight into the biggest inflation surge for four decades, with a cost-of-living crisis accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But with inflation finally back close to its target of two per cent, to be confirmed by the ONS on Wednesday 22nd May, now is the time to assess where the cost-of-living crisis has left our economy.
How does the UK experience compare to that elsewhere? Where has it left the relative prices of different goods and services, and the wages of different kinds of workers? How has it affected living standards, and households’ behaviour in terms of their spending and saving? And what might its legacy be in terms of the public and personal finances?
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 on the cost of living crisis, we will hear from leading experts on both its impact, and lessons learned, for policy makers and the wider public.
Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/paying-the-price/ 
View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/inflation-scarring/