New Swingometer! A preview of next week's Greater Manchester by-election - the largest by-election Britain has ever seen: open.substack.com/pub/swingome...

The Greater Manchester Mayoral by-election

What if you called the biggest by-election ever and no one noticed?

open.substack.com

Yesterday @nestinsight.bsky.social published new research looking into how many people in low- and moderate-income households have the potential to strengthen their financial resilience through investing. Here are some interesting findings...

"I can understand the need for the State Pension age to rise, because we're all living a lot longer and it's got to be paid for somehow... it's just unfortunate it's happened with my generation." An interviewee quoted in our research on the State Pension age: www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

We've been speaking to former prisoners and staff at HMP Dartmoor about Radon exposure. If you have information to share - please get in contact at holly.bancroft@independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Ready or not? The state pension age starts to rise today Here’s what it means for today’s 60-somethings cradle2grave.substack.com/p/ready-or-not

This week, the State Pension age started to rise from 66 to 67. Our new research with people in their 60s shows that most people know about this change. However, our research also highlights the issue of pre-retirement poverty among people aged 60 to 65. www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

New research from us at the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement: "Decisions in the dark: How the DC pioneer generation are navigating retirement income decisions" Report explores the psychology and emotions of accessing DC pension pots. www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

Decisions in the dark: How the DC pioneer generation are navigating retirement income decisions

Retirement in the UK is changing. The shift from Defined Benefit (DB) to Defined Contribution (DC) pensions, combined with pension freedoms, longer working lives and a rising state pension age, means ...

standardlife.co.uk

New Swingometer! The Gorton and Denton By-election: A tale of Two Manchesters open.substack.com/pub/swingome...

The Gorton and Denton by-election: a tale of two Manchesters?

Unpopular incumbent + fragmented opposition + unusual seat = unpredictable contest

open.substack.com

How do other countries support over 50s to return to work? I've written about this in my new article for the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement. Examples include 🇸🇬 Singapore, 🇨🇭Switzerland, 🇩🇪 Germany and more! www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

How do other countries support longer working lives?

Good work is important for people’s day-to-day finances, long-term savings and wellbeing. As a result, extending working lives is one of our priorities at the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Re...

standardlife.co.uk

🚨Rare and exciting opportunity 🚨 We're looking to hire an exceptional economist to work on fiscal policy at the IFS. We don't do this often. It's a chance to shape, carry out and communicate research on some of the highest-profile topics in UK economic policy. [1/4]

Last chance to apply for this job - Policy & Research Manager at the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement. We're a pioneering think tank with a bold ambition to help everyone achieve long-term financial security. fa-enor-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

We're hiring - join us as a Policy & Research Manager at the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement. I joined in March last year and am really enjoying working here - so if you're interested do apply! Deadline: 12 January. fa-enor-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

The Govt is undertaking the Timms review, assessing whether PIP is “fair and fit for the future”. But what if we could learn lessons from a nation within the UK that had successfully implemented a new adult disability benefit just three years ago? 🤔 www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Delivering dignity? • Resolution Foundation

When the Scottish Government introduced the Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in 2022 to replace Personal Independence Payment (PIP), it set out to do things differently. [i] Although the two benefits ha...

resolutionfoundation.org

🚨 NEW BLOG Labour have won every election in Wales for 100 years, but they are on track to (badly) lose the 2026 Senedd election - why? @jaclarner.bsky.social and I have looked at new data, which shows how support is shifting within (not between) Wales's blocs! blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wal...

Consolidation, Not Conversion: Understanding Wales’s Ongoing Realignment

Showcasing current research, comments and analysis on the law, politics, history, culture, government and political economy of Wales from the Wales Governance Centre.

blogs.cardiff.ac.uk

10 nuggets from the new "British General Election of 2024" book, courtesy of @timbale.bsky.social theconversation.com/the-ten-most...

The ten most surprising facts from the 2024 election revealed

Voters cared a lot less about tax than you might think.

theconversation.com

Interesting report from the IFS. Disability benefit claims rise when other benefits are cut, as you would expect. The size of the increase is relatively small (lower than I would have predicted). Suggests that high inflation in 2022 would likely have caused more people to claim disability benefits.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies@theifs.bsky.social · 8mo ago

NEW: Cuts to non-health-related benefits caused increases in disability benefit claims, our new report finds. 📗 Jonathan Cribb, @heidikarj.bsky.social, @eduinlatimer.bsky.social, Sam Ray-Chaudhuri and Tom Waters examine the impact of four cuts to benefits in the 2010s [THREAD:🧵]:

New report out today "Jam tomorrow? Work, finances and retirement in an era of a rising State Pension age" Higher State Pension age has led to higher employment among people in their 60s. But there are 250k more people in pre-retirement poverty than in 2010 www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

Jam tomorrow? Work, finances and retirement in an era of a rising State Pension age

As the State Pension age rises to 67, we think the government needs to put in place policies to ensure that as many people as possible have financial security throughout their 60s and beyond.

standardlife.co.uk

Rightly lots of debates about growth this weekend - rightly because it was low productivity growth that saw wages entirely flatline during the 2010s.

😬

Josh McCrain@joshmccrain.bsky.social · 9mo ago

new paper by Sean Westwood: With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research

📣 New research 📣 High competition for skilled workers is a significant risk for the UK's transition to clean heat. New @aldersgategroup.bsky.social research from WPI Economics uses Lightcast data to examine where the heat pump workforce will come from. www.aldersgategroup.org.uk/publications...

Workforce planning for clean heat - Aldersgate Group

New labour force research makes policy recommendations to take up significant opportunities to expand the heat pump workforce

aldersgategroup.org.uk

This is the point. Policy *should not* be adjusted or fine-tuned in response to minor forecasting judgements. Decisions about whether or not to break a prominent manifesto promise *should not* depend on minor forecasting judgements. This stuff matters. We've got to do better than this.

Duncan Weldon@duncanweldon.bsky.social · 9mo ago

I know it’s always like this. But one striking thing from the budget kite flying and kite pulling back in, is how major policy decisions are constantly being buffeted around by iterative forecast changes. All feels a bit of a silly way to be making major economic policy & political decisions.

Is gas still the reason GB energy prices are high? New Nesta blog by me. There's been a lot of talk about non-commodity costs on electricity bills, and how they're now dominating bill rises. My conclusion is: yes, they're a problem and need tackling; but they're not yet as big a problem as gas.

Is gas still the reason energy bills are so high?

Despite rising non-commodity costs on energy bills, high gas prices remain the primary reason for expensive energy for most British households, making the switch to homegrown energy a top priority

nesta.org.uk

Where are the public sector reformers? Can you help us find them? At @kinship.works, we thought we'd try to map the different public sector reform 'tribes' & where to find them (orgs, events, networks/communities, online spaces, newsletters/publications/podcasts etc) - but we need your help!

How can we support better, longer careers in the context of a rising State Pension age? Come and discuss this with us at our event in London on 13 November with our speakers @csfoot.bsky.social, @naomiclayton.bsky.social, Sarah Ellis and Dr Suzy Morrissey: events.standardlife.co.uk/ExtendingThe...

Enjoyed reading this article on planning for retirement and how it changed during the 20th century. Interesting reflections from people who attended 'pre-retirement education' courses, designed to help people plan and prepare for retirement.

The English Historical Review@enghistrev.bsky.social · 10mo ago

New article (OA): Helen McCarthy @historianhelen.bsky.social on 'Planning for Retirement in Post-war Britain' academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-...

The justice minister is right to be 'absolutely terrified' of prisons running out of space. As @cassiarowland.bsky.social's report showed last week, prison capacity will be on a knife edge for the next two years unless the govt takes further action to free up space

You may have heard about UK ministers' plan to double to 10 years the time needed to reached settled status in the UK. But did you realise that it threatened access to pensions for the 180,000 people who came from Hong Kong on the UK government's visa scheme? My dispatch: www.ft.com/content/8b91...

UK Hongkongers rue the rockiness of their ‘lifeboat’ after threatened visa changes

People who fled Chinese territory are angry after London looks at doubling length of time required to gain citizenship

ft.com

How can we support better, longer careers in the context of a rising State Pension age? Come and discuss this with us at our event in London on 13 November with our speakers @csfoot.bsky.social, @naomiclayton.bsky.social, Sarah Ellis and Dr Suzy Morrissey: events.standardlife.co.uk/ExtendingThe...

How can we support better, longer careers in the context of a rising State Pension age? Come and discuss this with us at our event in London on 13 November with our speakers @csfoot.bsky.social, @naomiclayton.bsky.social, Sarah Ellis and Dr Suzy Morrissey: events.standardlife.co.uk/ExtendingThe...

Why are so many young people not learning or earning? Sign up for the discussion next week, as we launch our upcoming report on the rising incidence of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) ⤵️ buff.ly/HZ28fWV