Policy

The Productivity Institute focuses on turning world-class research into practical insights that inform and influence the UK’s productivity agenda. Our focus comes in three strands:

Through the Policy Unit, we work closely with policymakers in Whitehall, devolved administrations, regional authorities and business leaders to support more effective, coherent and long-term policymaking.
The Productivity Commission meets regularly to discuss ongoing policy questions throughout the UK. It is an independent academic forum based at our partner NIESR for the development of research-based policies and a focal point for Whitehall initiatives.
Pro-productivity Policies are strategies that help economies get more done with the resources they have, including workers, equipment, and technology. Since the 2010s, many countries have seen a slowdown in how fast they’re improving productivity.

Our aim is to help address the UK’s persistent productivity challenges by ensuring that strategies for skills, innovation, infrastructure, investment and public services are aligned rather than fragmented. As highlighted in our report Joining Up Pro-Productivity Policies in the UK, we stress the importance of coordination across government departments, policy domains and regional scales to unlock sustainable growth and improve prosperity across the country.

Working closely with
policymakers

Productivity Policy Unit

A new initiative launched by The Productivity Institute in response to the UK government’s focus on economic growth, net zero, and better healthcare. We recognise that productivity is a key driver for achieving these missions.

The Productivity Policy Unit (PPU) ultimately aims to inform and influence the policy debate on productivity. The goal is to see our work have a tangible impact on policy decisions and improve living standards across the UK and in its first 6 months the PPU will focus on Industrial Strategy, Local growth plans and regional opportunities; the Skills Agenda; Public Sector Productivity; and Business Support and Knowledge Diffusion.

PRODUCTIVITY POLICY UNIT PEOPLE

Led by Professor Andy Westwood, the PPU bridges the gap between research and policy action by translating the Institute’s research into concrete policy ideas. Our team of experienced researchers and policy experts, including Professor Dame Diane Coyle, Professor Stephen Roper, and Professor Nigel Driffield, work with policymakers, thought leaders, and researchers to develop and advocate for pro-productivity policies.

Are Pro-Productivity Policies Fit for Purpose?

Pro-productivity policies are strategies that help economies get more done with the resources they have, like workers, equipment, and technology. Since the 2010s, many countries have seen a slowdown in how fast they’re improving productivity.

To turn this around, policies are needed that encourage investment in things like new technology, better training for workers, and smarter public services. Working smarter, spreading innovation faster, and making sure people and systems are equipped to keep up are crucial to boost productivity growth. Stronger institutions and global collaboration can also help countries learn from each other and adapt more effectively over time.

– Read Joining Up Pro-Productivity Policies in the UK, a joint report with the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, covering the main areas of policy that are directly relevant to productivity.

– Read our Pro-Productivity Policies: Country Experiences Series, a series of research papers examining how different countries have developed and implemented policies to influence productivity growth over the past six decades.

– Read Are Pro-Productivity Policies Fit for Purpose? Productivity Drivers and Policies in G-20 Economies, a Working Paper by Bart van Ark, Klaas de Vries and Dirk Pilat that sets out a typology of pro-productivity policies.

– Listen to Science, Technology, Innovation and Pro-Productivity Policies, an episode of Productivity Puzzles featuring Dirk Pilat.

– Read Are Pro-Productivity Policies Fit for Purpose?, a blog from the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) in Japan, based on Bart van Ark’s talk at RIETI in March 2025.

Productivity
Commission

The Productivity Commission is the policy arm of The Productivity Institute and regularly meets to discuss ongoing policy questions throughout the UK.

It is an independent academic forum for the development of research-based policies and a focal point for Whitehall initiatives. The Commission aims to develop and support a new constituency to support the national debate on productivity and promoting robust and consistent policies to address the UK’s chronic productivity shortfall.

The Commission aims to understand the policy implications of research produced by The Productivity Institute and elsewhere, as well as develop strong institutional links with government and other national bodies. It was launched on 16 September, 2021 by our partner NIESR.

The first evidence review can be accessed on NIESR’s website.

The publication UK Productivity Commission Priorities for 2023 was released on 19 January 2023, which sets out some questions for the year, with particular focus on investment.

The Commissioners are:

Professor Bart van Ark The University of Manchester

Professor Alan Barrett Economic and Social Research Institute

Professor Gillian Bristow University of Cardiff

Professor Diane Coyle Bennett Institute of Public Policy, Cambridge

Dawn Holland Moody’s Analytics

Professor Eileen Harkin-Jones Ulster University

Rachel Lomax Formerly HMT and BoE

Professor Stephen Millard NIESR

Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli University of Glasgow

Professor Adrian Pabst NIESR

Dr. Dirk Pilat The Productivity Institute

Professor Sir Chris Pissarides London School of Economics

Professor Tony Venables The University of Manchester

Professor Jackie Wahba University of Southampton

Professor Stian Westlake Economic and Social Research Council

Professor Andy Westwood The University of Manchester

Professor Cecilia Wong The University of Manchester

Over the next three years, The Commission will hold evidence sessions that focus on specific policy issues. A report containing suggestions to the Government for how the UK can improve its productivity will be published after the evidence sessions. The Commission will also examine different ways to hear from productivity experts, such as presentations from authors of policy papers and the various productivity boards around the world.

More information on how to get involved can be found through our partner NIESR.

Productivity Forums

The forums are involved in the implementation of research insights, the design of practical business and policy interventions, and in providing input to the development of the Institute’s future research agenda.

Their members include stakeholders from policy community and business leaders from local, national and multinational enterprises. Each Productivity Forum is chaired by a regional business leader and supported by a Forum Lead from each of the partner universities.

The nine Forums are based in:

The Institute’s key research themes are led by ten academic partners spread across the UK.

Businesses are crucial to solving the UK’s productivity problems.