"I love Economics Observatory | Questions and answers about coronavirus and the UK economy"

2022-06-12 05:26:18

Ask a question Find an Answer Ask Find Join Questions and answers about the UK economy. Join Home About Answers By Topic Data Hub Talking Economics ECO Magazine ECO at COP26 Ask a question Experts Research Hub Submit Evidence Videos Join Us Follow us Font Size Decrease / Increase Mode Light / Dark New Post • News Picture this To tackle major challenges – from today’s cost of living crisis to enduring inequalities – data are essential. But it is important to bear in mind that the data we select – their strengths, limitations and timeliness – will influence the policy choices that we collectively make. Talking Economics Our first annual conference took place in Bristol on 17-19 November 2021. Click here to see the full programme and listen back to the talks. Inequality & poverty How has Covid-19 affected wealth disparities among ethnic groups in the UK? The pandemic has affected the finances of some ethnic groups in the UK more adversely than others. Inequalities in various types of wealth – from home ownership to pensions – have played a key part in driving the economic hardship felt by many minority households. Science, technology & innovation How can Northern Ireland improve its innovation ecosystem? Some parts of Northern Ireland’s workforce are well qualified by the standards of much of the UK, but their skills are not being translated into new processes and products brought to market by businesses. A ten-year strategy seeks to foster greater innovation and a more prosperous economy. Attitudes, media & governance Ukraine’s accession to the European Union: what difference would it make? Existing agreements between Ukraine and the EU have already promoted substantial trade flows. Accession would have bigger implications for freedom of movement of capital and workers – investment inflows and migration outflows. These areas are where negotiations are likely to focus. Inequality & poverty What explains the UK’s racial wealth gap? Compared with white British households, ethnic minorities are more likely to live in households with lower levels of total net wealth and income, with fewer people in work. Differences in educational attainment and earnings are important for explaining wealth disparities among minority groups. Lessons from history Platinum Jubilee: how has the UK economy changed over the past 70 years? Today’s UK is very different from when the country’s longest reigning monarch came to the throne in 1952. But there is one striking parallel with the start of the second Elizabethan age: as now, it was a time of high inflation and widespread concerns about the cost of living. Data Hub Live and interactive charts and visualisations, making sense of the latest numbers Health, physical & mental How do countries’ responses to the health effects of Covid-19 compare? Two years on, Covid-19 continues to place a substantial burden on healthcare systems around the world. But the pandemic also provides lessons for policy-makers in building resilient services to protect patients against the threat of future diseases. Recession & recovery How is the UK economy faring compared with other countries? In the aftermath of Covid-19, finding accurate ways to measure and compare economic progress is as important as ever. Economists and policy-makers are increasingly looking to complement conventional indicators of GDP, unemployment and productivity with metrics based on wellbeing. News Measure for measure With UK households facing soaring energy bills, the government has announced a windfall tax on oil and gas companies. Whether this is enough to support those experiencing fuel poverty may depend on the duration of the war in Ukraine and its effects on the global economy. Prices & interest rates What might be the macroeconomic cost of the war in Ukraine? Russia’s economy looks likely to experience a deep recession following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Increased spending on defence and refugees may limit the adverse effects of the conflict on Western European GDP, but it will to add to pressure on resources and drive up inflation. Energy & climate change What does the war in Ukraine mean for the geopolitics of energy prices? Global energy prices have risen sharply, primarily as a result of the invasion of Ukraine and European efforts to move away from dependence on Russian oil and gas. But increased demand in Asia and struggling production from shale in the United States are also having an impact. Families & households How will rising UK energy bills affect fuel poverty and affordability? Rising gas prices bring concerns about energy affordability, with estimated shares of household incomes spent on energy indicating the most serious pressures in a generation. But changes to official definitions of fuel poverty mean that the statistics need to be interpreted with caution. Energy & climate change Why are UK energy prices rising? Gas and electricity are becoming more expensive, largely because of rising import costs. The recent increase in the price cap set by Ofgem, the UK’s energy market regulator, saw bills go up for millions of households across the country. All Answers Funded By Contributing organisations This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Privacy Policy & Terms and ConditionsWeb Design Grizzly .home__blocks-item { visibility: visible!important; }