I am writing immediately after the RSA Jobs Summit which I co-chaired with our Chair of Trustees Luke Johnson and former RSA Trustee, and respected independent economist, Vicky Pryce. We had an amazing line up of speakers ranging from senior politicians (David Miliband and David Willetts) to respected academics and policy analysts (Paul Gregg, Jonathan Portes, Paul Johnson) to incisive writers on the economy (John Kay and Diane Coyle) to people with front line experience of business (John Makinson, James Mawson, Elizabeth Varley) and many more.
The conversation had a nice concertina rhythm, moving from broad debates about jobs, enterprise, and investment to more specific questions about industrial policy and labour market regulation. Overall, I was reminded that in policy making what matters is what is important not what may be most novel. Although the sessions spanned political perspectives ranging from Miliband to the unapologetically free market views of the IEA’s Mark Littlewood, and a wide range of expertise, there were some points which came close to achieving a consensus:
There is little new in all this but it was useful to see the points of broad agreement and to focus minds on the key aspects of a strategy for jobs and growth. We will be publishing a fuller report of the day in a few weeks’ time.
Related articles
-
An economy for all?
Asheem Singh Alexa Clay Riley Thorold
Is economic growth always good? It's time to listen to communities.
-
Fixing the safety net to prevent homelessness
Chris Hildrey
The loss of an address can be a crippling blow for those who need support. It’s time that was fixed.
-
How we ‘pulled apart’ and how we can ‘come together’ again
Anthony Painter
We shouldn’t underestimate how far our societies have pulled apart. Yet there is hope for renewal, says Anthony Painter. The question is not whether we come together – but how.
Be the first to write a comment
Comments
Please login to post a comment or reply
Don't have an account? Click here to register.