Blog Post Environment and Net Zero Overcoming the challenges of financing retrofit in the UK: A pathway to net zero Wales and the UK face a significant challenge in ramping up retrofit delivery to meet net zero, fuel poverty and health goals. Currently, across the UK, we retrofit around 250,000 homes per year, but to meet our targets, we need to increase this to 1.5 million homes annually by 2035. This sixfold increase is critical […] Read more Topics: Economy Energy Net Zero December 12, 2024
Report Environment and Net Zero Exploring the role of multisector collaboration in Welsh transport Transport is a crucial enabler of social wellbeing and economic growth. To achieve its full enabling potential, transport needs to be integrated, reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient. Transport for Wales (TfW) has been on a transformation journey to move beyond being a railway operator to becoming an integrated, multi-modal transport provider that plays a key […] Read more Topics: Economy Loneliness November 19, 2024
Blog Post Environment and Net Zero Tackling Inequalities Navigating farming futures How can farmers go ‘Green’ if they are in the ‘Red’? Following Brexit and the introduction of the UK Domestic Agricultural Policy, the UK farming sector faces substantial uncertainty. This blog explores some economic, social, and environmental impacts of these changes in Wales, with a particular emphasis on the emerging issue of poverty among farming […] Read more Topics: Economy Net Zero May 31, 2024
Blog Post Environment and Net Zero Towards a green economy: building on Wales’ legislative foundation There is much talk about the scale and pace of change that is needed to move towards net zero in Wales. The changes are equally important for a prosperous economy as well as a green economy, as we discussed in our evidence paper for the Senedd’s Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee. There are important […] Read more Topics: Economy Net Zero May 13, 2024
Blog Post Uncategorized Methods How to improve regional productivity levers in England and Wales How to improve regional productivity levers in England and Wales As winners of the 2024 Award for the Best Paper published in Regional Studies Policy Debates, Helen Tilley, Jack Newman, Charlotte Hoole, Andrew Connell, and Ananya Mukherjee discuss the winning paper. They argue that UK regions lack the policy levers they need to improve productivity […] Read more Topics: Economy April 17, 2024
News Tackling Inequalities Policy mix needed to stem economic impact of population decline With Wales’ working age population ageing and in decline, the Wales Centre for Public Policy has reviewed international approaches to this trend and found that a mix of policies to increase fertility and encourage population retention and attraction could help minimise a major economic challenge. Trends in fertility and mortality in Wales have resulted in […] Read more Topics: Economy December 18, 2023
Report Tackling Inequalities International approaches to population ageing and decline Trends in fertility and mortality have resulted in an increasing excess of deaths over birth since 2015/16 in Wales. The Total Fertility Rate in Wales fell below the replacement rate (of 2.1) in 1974 and has remained there since, standing at just 1.5 births per woman in 2021. Based on past trends, the Welsh population […] Read more Topics: Economy Employment Employment, work and skills December 18, 2023
Blog Post Environment and Net Zero Tackling Inequalities How can Wales feed itself in the biodiverse, carbon-neutral world of the future? WWF Cymru Policy and Advocacy Manager Alexander Phillips has responded to our recent report: How could Wales feed itself by 2035? As the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss become increasingly apparent around the globe, the question of ‘how could Wales feed itself in 2035’ and beyond is easily one of the most important […] Read more Topics: Economy Energy Net Zero October 16, 2023
Blog Post Community Wellbeing Investment in councils, investment in communities I was invited to speak to the WLGA conference about “investment in councils, investment in communities”, and what follows is a very slightly abridged version of my comments on that topic; outlining how evidence can support councils in navigating the challenging situation they face. The multiple challenges facing councils The theme of this session is […] Read more Topics: Community collaboration Economy Local government October 9, 2023
Blog Post Environment and Net Zero The benefits of Welsh diet change for our health, climate and pockets Reducing emissions from agriculture remains one of the biggest barriers on Wales’ pathway to net zero. Progress has been limited in recent years and while ‘supply-side’ changes to farming practices are necessary, these alone will not be sufficient to achieve significant falls in agricultural emissions. There needs to be ‘demand-side’ change in the behaviour of […] Read more Topics: Economy Net Zero July 24, 2023
