Research Briefing
New statistics out today suggest that employment is up 193,000 and unemployment is down 125,000 compared to the previous quarter. Politicians and pollsters, journalists and even(!) House of Commons Library staff, repeat the figures without hesitation. But do the statistics really merit this faith, or is a bit more caution in order?
Research Briefing
This paper contains labour market figures for parliamentary constituencies, as well as a summary of the latest national and regional statistics.
Research Briefing
Today the House will debate the latest Local Government Finance Settlement. This settlement continues the recent trend of reducing funding for authorities. Funding in the central announcement (Settlement Funding Assessment), is set to decrease by 21%, across 2014/15 and 2015/16. However, the Government prefers to discuss a 5% decrease. How do these different figures arise,
Research Briefing
This archived note briefly discussed public procurement with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises and savings. It has been superseded by SN6029 (Public Procurement).
Research Briefing
Ever since the success of the acronym “BRICs” – coined at the beginning of the 2000s to describe the large fast-growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China – economists and investment managers have been attempting to come up with another collection of large emerging economies with bright prospects that can be combined to form
Research Briefing
The jet engine, polyester, graphene: indicative of a problem that has been grappled with by successive Governments – the innovation gap in the UK, menacingly referred to as ‘the valley of death’. All of the products above were invented by UK companies, universities or individuals. After invention, however, their development and much of their commercialisation
Research Briefing
Jim O’Neill, the economist who first coined the term ‘BRICS’ in 2001, has announced that Nigeria (along with Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey [acronym: MINT) could become one of the next emerging ‘economic giants’. Yet there remain grounds for wondering whether Mr O’Neill’s view is overly rose-tinted. In sharp contrast to him, some recent observers have been talking instead of possible ‘revolution’ or the ‘disintegration’ of Nigeria. Perhaps, like pre-1914 Russia, it is precariously teetering between all three options.
Research Briefing
This Research Paper series summarises the main economic indicators currently available for the UK, along with comparisons with other major OECD countries. This month’s articles: "Tax revenues: recession and recovery" and "Lights, roads, water – the fragile state of infrastructure investment"
Research Briefing
Where is Germany – the most influential country in Europe – heading, under its new grand coalition government?
Total results (page 77 of 99)