Productivity Research Conference  4th – 5th September 2025 Find out more

A diverse community of leading experts, policymakers and practitioners

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

Investment in Places research project

Working closely with policymakers

We’re a UK-wide research organisation exploring what productivity means for business

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

Working closely with
policymakers

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  3. Policy

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.

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 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 Jagjit Chadha NIESR (chair)

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 and Irish Fiscal Advisory Council

Professor Eileen Harkin-Jones Ulster University

Rachel Lomax Formerly HMT and BoE

Stephen Millard NIESR

Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli University of Glasgow

Professor Adrian Pabst NIESR

Dr. Dirk Pilat

Professor Sir Chris Pissarides London School of Economics

Professor Tony Venables University of Manchester

Professor Jackie Wahba University of Southampton

Professor Stian Westlake Royal Statistical Society

Professor Andy Westwood University of Manchester

Professor Cecilia Wong 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.

Regional 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 Regional Productivity Forum is chaired by a regional business leader and supported by a Regional Forum Lead from each of the partner universities.

The eight Forums are based in:

London and the South

Supported by King's College London

Yorks, Humber & North East

Supported by University of Sheffield

East Anglia

Supported by University of Cambridge

Scotland

Supported by University of Glasgow

Midlands

Supported by University of Warwick

Wales

Supported by Cardiff University

North West

Supported by University of Manchester

Northern Ireland

Supported by Queen's University Belfast

Insights

From a fragile to an agile state: is the Spending Review enough to enable the Starmer government to deliver on its growth mission?

Read More

Low accountability institutionalism: my darkest fear

Read More

New Towns and Old Cities

Read More
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