Our interdisciplinary research aims to pinpoint the causes of the stagnation in UK productivity.
Our mission is to tackle the UK’s persistent productivity challenge by generating robust, actionable research. We unite expertise from economics, management, social sciences, engineering, and data science to understand what drives productivity and how it can be improved.
Our work is structured around three core areas – People, Firms, and Institutions & the Economy – each addressing the most pressing questions facing the UK’s productivity today. We also produce sector-specific research, which helps to understand the distinctive constraints and opportunities faced by particular industries.
By combining rigorous academic analysis with real-world insights, we aim to inform better decisions for policymakers, businesses, and communities.
Our Productivity Lab supports this mission by providing advanced data analysis and making complex evidence accessible.
Since 2020, our research has evolved from broad thematic exploration to focused programmatic work. We began with eight research themes and rapid-response COVID-19 projects, producing dozens of working papers and hosting conferences. By 2022-23, we consolidated our work into the three main programmes of People, Firms, and Institutions and the Economic System.
Through this integrated approach, we seek to deliver practical solutions that foster sustainable and inclusive productivity growth across the UK.
Navigate to the All Research tab to view all of the research papers.
When The Productivity Institute was established in 2020, the following themes were identified as key research areas to help understand the UK’s productivity puzzle.
