Economics Observatory | Questions and answers about coronavirus and the UK economy

How do greening prosperity stripes help measure progress towards net zero?

Action to mitigate climate change remains essential. Visualisations of the progress that countries are making towards greener economic growth can help to promote policies that mobilise efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

1-3 October 2024 Bristol

Schools, universities & training

How can we reduce gender gaps in mathematics education?

Underperformance by girls and young women in mathematics relative to their male peers is a loss of talent that may hinder productivity growth. New developments in our understanding of how gender stereotypes originate and evolve can help us to reduce gender differences in achievement.

DATA HUB

UK university finances

Data from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) reveal the sources of expenditure and income among UK higher education providers up to the 2022/23 academic year.

In the 2021/22 academic year, staffing costs rose to over £31 billion, driven by £6.9 billion in pension adjustments. Staff costs accounted for over 60% of annual expenditure and contributed to a sector-wide income deficit. The following year, staff costs fell to £24 billion and the sector returned to an income surplus.

Tuition fees, which have increasingly bolstered university incomes since 2014, hit a record £27 billion in 2022/23, comprising over 52% of total earnings. Despite the sector's restored surplus in 2022/23, 27% of universities remained in deficit, highlighting uneven financial prospects.

Schools, universities & training

How would minimum entry grades affect opportunities in higher education?

The UK government is consulting on the introduction of minimum eligibility requirements for access to student loans. If such a reform is introduced, it is likely to prevent many who miss getting the required grades from going to university.

MAGAZINE

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The productivity of UK firms depends on them being well managed. This makes improving management practices a critically important issue both for business leaders and for policy-makers seeking to boost the country’s overall economic performance.

Data stories

What happened at the 2024 Olympics?

Paris hosted the 2024 Summer Olympic Games – the 30th of the modern era. Memories will be dominated by great sporting moments, including athletes winning their countries’ first ever medals. But the mega-event also highlighted issues around representation, equality, cost control and home advantage.

Business, big & small

The hollow corporation: what does today’s division of labour look like?

Adam Smith explained the gains from workers in a pin factory specialising in their tasks. Specialisation today looks very different, with many businesses focused on just a single link in the global supply chain.

Energy & climate change

Achieving sustainable development: what’s happening in the Congo Basin?

Conserving the Congo Basin is essential for preserving biodiversity and averting climate catastrophe. But safeguarding this precious ecosystem has to be balanced with the needs of some of the world’s poorest people. Managing the environmental and economic interconnections is a global challenge.

Lessons from history

What can we learn about patents and innovation from the past?

The history of industrial revolutions provides valuable insights into how patents and patenting systems influence innovation. It also reveals the extent to which inventors have relied on other ways to protect their ideas, including secrecy, sharing and showcasing them at international exhibitions.

Transport & infrastructure

What might be the economic implications of autonomous vehicles?

Autonomous vehicles could change our urban spaces and transport systems by altering commuting patterns, improving safety and decreasing congestion and emissions. Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence have the potential to accelerate these trends.

Health, physical & mental

How is the cost of living crisis affecting public health?

Soaring costs are widening health inequalities, weakening food security and diminishing health and social care. With support services already under intense pressure, the cost of living crisis raises major health concerns for the most vulnerable.

Science, technology & innovation

How is generative artificial intelligence changing the legal profession?

Lawyers have traditionally been slow to embrace technology, with courtroom practices remaining largely the same for centuries. The arrival of generative AI is set to change all that.

Public spending, taxes & debt

Would taxes on unhealthy foods reduce obesity?

Taxing unhealthy foods like sugary drinks makes them relatively more expensive, potentially encouraging people to buy more healthy alternatives. Evidence shows that such taxes do reduce consumption and that firms reformulate their products, with beneficial effects on health.

Science, technology & innovation

What is web3 and what might it mean for the UK economy?

Many are claiming that the new era of the internet – web3 – will be the end of dominant Big Tech platforms like Google, Facebook and Apple. But this murky world of cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens brings new risks – and policy-makers are right to be wary.

Energy & climate change

Climate change: what are the economic impacts and potential solutions?

To stand a chance of meeting the net-zero ambitions of the Paris Agreement, a multi-pronged approach to curbing climate change is needed that permeates all sectors of our society and economy. Done well, this comprehensive approach will ensure a just transition.

All Answers