The We Society S8 Ep8: Solving the Productivity Puzzle with Ed Balls, Anna Stansbury and Dan Turner
Jul 9, 2025
40:26
In the final episode of Season 8 of the We Society, our host Will Hutton is joined by economist and former Labour politician Ed Balls, Dr. Anna Stansbury, a researcher in labour and macroeconomics from MIT, and Dan Turner, Chief Research Officer for the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown focused on national and regional inequalities.
All three have recently collaborated on research to do with regional inequality in the UK and the lessons the UK can learn from Bidenomics.
In this conversation, they discuss the worsening regional disparities in productivity, income, and overall economic performance within the UK, particularly highlighting the stark contrast between the economic conditions in London and the South East compared to cities like Nottingham, Manchester, and Birmingham.
All three have recently collaborated on research to do with regional inequality in the UK and the lessons the UK can learn from Bidenomics.
In this conversation, they discuss the worsening regional disparities in productivity, income, and overall economic performance within the UK, particularly highlighting the stark contrast between the economic conditions in London and the South East compared to cities like Nottingham, Manchester, and Birmingham.
The traditional narrative of the North-South divide, which primarily focused on employment levels and unemployment rates, has evolved. Instead, the emphasis has now shifted towards productivity, revealing that while employment rates may be comparable across regions, the productivity of economic output varies greatly.
To read more about Ed, Anna and Dan’s research papers, find them here:
Tackling the UK’s regional economic inequality: Binding constraints and avenues for policy intervention https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/publications/awp/awp198
What should the UK learn from ‘Bidenomics’?
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/publications/awp/awp252
Join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.
To read more about Ed, Anna and Dan’s research papers, find them here:
Tackling the UK’s regional economic inequality: Binding constraints and avenues for policy intervention https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/publications/awp/awp198
What should the UK learn from ‘Bidenomics’?
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/publications/awp/awp252
Join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.
Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to.
The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust.
Producer: Emily Uchida Finch
Assistant Producer: Emily Gilbert
A Whistledown Production
Producer: Emily Uchida Finch
Assistant Producer: Emily Gilbert
A Whistledown Production