‘The rise of the robots’ and ‘productivity pessimism’ can’t both be right (RF...
Talk of looming automation, AI and robots is pervasive in public policy chat – including in the government’s new industrial strategy. Almost as common are projections that the weak growth of the past...
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Should the Office for Budget Responsibility also forecast inequality? (RF blog)
The strengths and weaknesses of economic forecasting are under scrutiny, perhaps like never before. How might GDP perform under different Brexit policies compared to a world with no Brexit? Is...
View Article10 policies if you think you might want a Universal Basic Income but aren’t...
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is the policy idea du jour, especially among Labour, Lib Dem, SNP and Green members. But those three words by themselves are not a policy. The concept draws support for a...
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What share of tax do the top 1 per cent pay? Less than you might have heard...
Late last year in a PMQs exchange about tax, the Prime Minister said that “the top 1 per cent of earners in this country are paying 28 per cent of the tax burden” – “the highest percentage ever”. She’s...
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No, the poorest don’t pay higher taxes than the richest (RF blog)
We all know that parts of the tax system are very progressive – and this should be very apparent in the Autumn Statement when the Chancellor unveils perhaps £10 billion of tax rises that will target...
View ArticleThe Living Standards Audit 2018 (RF report)
Read The Living Standards Audit 2018 here. Originally published at https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/the-living-standards-audit-2018/ With Stephen Clarke, Conor D’Arcy & John...
View ArticleReplacing business rates: taxing land, not investment
Read Replacing business rates: taxing land, not investment here. Originally published at https://www.libdems.org.uk/taxingland-notinvestment With Andrew Dixon, Dominic Humphrey and Max von Thun...
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Why I’m trying to go vegan (and think you should too)
How much meat, dairy and egg do you eat? I must admit I’ve eaten plenty in my time. But here is my personal attempt at a logical argument for why I’m now trying to be vegan and think you should too. In...
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The next Labour/SNP/Lib Dem government (and The 12 Days of Christmas)
A general election in the next 12 or 24 months looks likely. Sadly, politics has been dominated and poisoned by Brexit, and the next election may be no exception. But – as it’s Christmas – here’s a...
View ArticleWrong direction: can Scotland hit its child poverty targets? (RF report)
Read Wrong direction here. Originally published at https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/wrong-direction-can-scotland-hit-its-child-poverty-targets/ Very quick summary: Scotland is not on...
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The UK is a nation of chickens
I work on public policy. Many policies – be they small changes to benefits, taxes or public services – might not radically transform individual people’s lives. They are marginal improvements. But it’s...
View ArticleHow do the parties compare on animal welfare?
As I’ve set out in previous blogs, I think improving animal welfare should be a big concern for everyone due to the combination of appalling treatment and the vast number of sentient beings affected....
View ArticleWhat the next Lib Dem leader should say to other parties
As a Lib Dem member, here’s the kind of approach I personally hope the next Lib Dem leader might take: “First, thank you again to everyone who helped fight the general election. We saw a greater...
View ArticleList of UK employers with gender-neutral parental leave
Inequalities in pay and employment between women and men are not going to disappear without tackling inequalities in parenting. At the moment 93% of parents taking time out of work or working...
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Why wait til 2035 to ban the most polluting new cars?
Background: “[The UK] Government is seeking views on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears...
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Can we make surnames non-sexist?
Surnames in the UK and much of the rest of the world are generally patrilineal. To take a recent example, the Prime Minister’s new son, Wilfred Johnson, has taken his father’s surname, while his...
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Why I’m trying to go vegan (and think you should too)
How much meat, dairy and egg do you eat? I must admit I’ve eaten plenty in my time. But here is my personal attempt at a logical argument for why I’m now trying to be vegan and think you should too. In...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The next Labour/SNP/Lib Dem government (and The 12 Days of Christmas)
A general election in the next 12 or 24 months looks likely. Sadly, politics has been dominated and poisoned by Brexit, and the next election may be no exception. But – as it’s Christmas – here’s a...
View ArticleWrong direction: can Scotland hit its child poverty targets? (RF report)
Read Wrong direction here. Originally published at https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/wrong-direction-can-scotland-hit-its-child-poverty-targets/ Very quick summary: Scotland is not on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The UK is a nation of chickens
I work on public policy. Many policies – be they small changes to benefits, taxes or public services – might not radically transform individual people’s lives. They are marginal improvements. But it’s...
View Article