10:30-11:45 Tuesday 18 November | Cinema 1, Watershed | Part of the Festival of Economics 2025
Britain has faced a barrage of bad economic news—from shocks to policy mistakes—over the past 20 years. Today, confidence in the economy and in economists is waning. What can be done to make the UK more resilient? Do we need a new economic model? Or new ways for economists to influence policy, or both?
Panel
Ruth Curtice
Ruth is the Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation. She was previously Director of fiscal policy at HM Treasury (HMT) where she worked for over 15 years. Her career has focused on domestic economic policy including labour markets, tax, fiscal policy and financial regulation. Ruth has held a wide range of roles in HMT, including working in the Chancellor’s private office, supporting the Independent Commission on Banking, and leading the Treasury’s distributional analysis.
Xiaowei Xu
Xiaowei joined the IFS in 2018 and works in the Income, Work and Welfare sector. Her research focuses on inequalities in labour market outcomes and health. Before joining the IFS, she worked at McKinsey, the Gates Foundation and in economic consulting.
Richard Davies
London School of Economics & University of Bristol
Richard Davies is an economist and author. He is a Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics and director of the Economics Observatory. He has been Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers at HM Treasury, an economist and speechwriter at the Bank of England, and economics editor of The Economist. He has previously published on money, banking and financial crises. His current research uses micro data to study economy-wide questions including prices and inflation, wages and productivity.
