Category archives for Publications
Young workers’ perspectives on the economy, crisis, the labour market and politics | New SPERI report published today
With its tenth anniversary approaching, the 2008 global financial crisis has had significant ramifications in the UK that are still being felt today. One of the groups that has been most affected are young people, in part because they will live with the aftermath of the crisis for longest, and in part because of the crisis’ specific impact on their … Continue reading
New Pivot Book: The Political Economy of Britain in Crisis
The Eighth Pivot book in the ‘Building a Sustainable Political Economy‘ series has been published. Researched and written by Christopher Kirkland, this book explores two recent crises in British political economy: the crisis of 1976–9, for which the trade unions were impugned, and the 2007 economic crisis, for which bankers were (at least initially) blamed. The author argues that the “crisis … Continue reading
Hungry Britain: the rise of food charity | New book by Hannah Lambie-Mumford
A new book by SPERI Research Fellow Hannah Lambie-Mumford is published today by Policy Press. Hungry Britain: the rise of food charity draws on empirical research with the UK’s two largest charitable food organisations and explores the prolific rise of food charity over the last 15 years and its implications for overcoming food insecurity. As the welfare state withdraws, leaving … Continue reading
The New Political Economy of Oil
SPERI is delighted to report two new publications that explore in different formats the changing political economy of oil and the place that oil now occupies in the economic and political predicaments that confront the West. Both are authored by Helen Thompson, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge and an Honorary Research Fellow of SPERI. … Continue reading
New SPERI Paper: The Political Economy of Brexit and the UK’s National Business Model
Today SPERI publishes a new research paper entitled ‘The Political Economy of Brexit and the UK’s National Business Model’. The paper draws together contributions from a series of workshops which ran throughout 2016 funded by the White Rose Consortium. The paper includes contributions from the three organisers of the workshop series, Scott Lavery (SPERI, Sheffield), Lucia Quaglia (York) and Charlie … Continue reading
The long-term impact of the state pension ‘triple lock’ | New Brief
A new report published today by SPERI finds that the impact of the pension ‘triple lock’ is modest and should be maintained. In this new Brief, Craig Berry explores the merit of the criticism the triple lock attracts by considering the policy’s long-term impact on state pension outcomes; in short, the triple lock is assessed as a pensions policy, not simply a pensioner … Continue reading
‘Brexit Britain’: Where does the UK growth model go from here? New Policy Brief published by SPERI, FEPS and Policy Network
We are pleased to publish the third Brief of a series drawing on the project ‘Diverging Capitalisms? Britain, the City of London and Europe’, jointly organised by FEPS, Policy Network and SPERI. In this Brief Andrew Gamble and Scott Lavery, both of SPERI, offer a brief historical overview of the development of the UK growth model and the strategic orientation … Continue reading
Political Economy and the Paradoxes of Macroprudential Regulation | New SPERI Paper
We are pleased to publish a new SPERI Paper by Andrew Baker which takes a close look at macroprudential regulation by engaging with its constituent concepts and how they interrelate to one another. Andrew Baker argues that the emerging political economy of macroprudential regulation revolves around five paradoxes. The first three of these are paradoxes that characterise the financial system and are … Continue reading
New Paper: British Business Strategy, EU Social and Employment Policy and the Emerging Politics of Brexit
A new Paper published today highlights how Brexit might change how British businesses engage with EU institutions in order to further their objectives. Through a document analysis of business responses to the Balance of Competences Review on EU Social and Employment Policy and CBI policy documents between 2010-2016, the author Scott Lavery outlines how British business has attempted to ‘defend … Continue reading
European Union Financial Regulation, Banking Union, Capital Markets Union and the UK – New SPERI Paper
As part of the project on Diverging Capitalisms with FEPS and Policy Network, we are pleased to publish a new paper by Professor Lucia Quaglia which analyses the EU reforms in three key financial policy areas – financial regulation, Banking Union and Capital Markets Union – and the role played by the preferences and influence of the United Kingdom (UK) … Continue reading
New SPERI Paper: Rethinking the fiscal and monetary political economy of the Green State
A new Paper published today by SPERI investigates an under-theorised contradiction in the political economy of the Green State; a Robyn Eckersley concept which fosters a debate on how state capacity and legitimacy can be pragmatically utilised in order to realise environmental protection. The contradiction identified centres upon the operationalisation of an interventionist state, the move beyond economic growth, and … Continue reading
What Brexit and austerity tell us about economics, policy and the media – New SPERI Paper
We are delighted to publish the transcript of Simon Wren-Lewis’s Prize-winning Lecture: What Brexit and austerity tell us about economics, policy and the media. In this Paper, Simon Wren-Lewis tackles the inconsistencies and inaccuracies reported in the media about austerity and Brexit. He calls for journalists to bring in academic expertise and to prick the Westminster bubble. Simon Wren-Lewis is … Continue reading
Negotiating Flexibility at UNGASS 2016: Solving the ‘World Drug Problem’? – New Global Political Economy Brief
Today, SPERI is publishing a Global Political Economy Brief summarising and analysing key aspects of the political economy of the so called ‘War on Drugs’. Prohibition, led by the US, has been the favoured policy to counter drugs since the 1960s, but in recent years a number of significant shifts have taken place and stimulated calls for reform. In April … Continue reading
New SPERI Paper: ‘Treasury Control’ and the British Environmental State
SPERI is pleased to publish a paper by Martin Craig, SPERI Research Fellow, which explores the negative impacts of H.M. Treasury powers and policy priorities on the development of the British ‘environmental state’. A growing literature uses the term ‘environmental state’ to refer to the new roles and institutional capacities that the modern capitalist state has acquired in relation to … Continue reading
UK manufacturing has entered a new phase of decline – new SPERI Brief
A new SPERI British Political Economy Brief ‘UK manufacturing decline since the crisis in historical perspective’, published today, argues that UK manufacturing has entered a new phase of decline. The new Brief, by SPERI Deputy Director Craig Berry, shows that: In the 5 years since 2011 the UK manufacturing sector has bucked historical trends and created new jobs. However, output growth … Continue reading
New SPERI Paper: ‘Critical Transformations: Rethinking Zambian Development’
We are pleased to publish this new SPERI Paper by Nicholas Jepson, Lecturer in International Development at the University of Manchester, and Jeffrey Henderson, Professor of International Development at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, which seeks to retheorise the trajectory of Zambian development since the country’s independence. It emerges from a larger project designed to break with current discourses and rethink development more generally … Continue reading
New SPERI Paper: Riding the Tiger: Towards a New Growth Strategy for the Anglo-American Left
Designing an alternative growth model seems to occupy the mind of politicians and academics alike in Britain and America. But what are we trying to grow? And why are existing progressive packages not sufficient? We are pleased to publish this new SPERI Paper by David Coates, Worrell Professor at Wake Forest University, which tackles both those questions simultaneously and seeks … Continue reading
New SPERI paper by Wolfgang Streeck: ‘Exploding Europe: Germany, the Refugees and the British Vote to Leave’
In a new essay for SPERI leading German political economist and sociologist Wolfgang Streeck analyses Britain’s vote to leave the EU. In his new paper ‘Exploding Europe: Germany, the Refugees and the British Vote to Leave‘ Streeck argues that Angela Merkel’s decision, exactly one year ago (September 4th), to open up Germany’s borders during Europe’s ‘refugee crisis’ of late summer … Continue reading
We need a real deal on devolution – new joint SPERI and CLES report
A new joint report ‘The Real Deal: Pushing the parameters of devolution deals’ published today by SPERI and the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) calls on the new government to reset the devolution agenda, rethink UK governance at all levels, and presents ideas for a new settlement to make devolution a force for progressive change. The paper – co-authored … Continue reading