Seventeen new research projects aimed at improving the lives of the world’s poorest has been given the go-ahead, at a total cost of £7 million. The research awards are part of a joint 'poverty alleviation' research programme from the ESRC and the Department for International Development.
Research shows that some policy options to curb bankers' pay will fail - and even risk making banks more unstable. However, a cap on the available bonus pool will both limit bankers' pay and reduce the risk of a bank default.
Pay over the last decades have risen fastest for those at the very top of the income distribution - and most of the gains have gone to the financial sector through bonuses, according to research from the Centre for Economic Performance.
The fibre-optic broadband linking East Africa has created huge expectations of an economic boost - but are the hopes realistic? An ESRC-DFID research project charts the technology transition in Kenya and Rwanda.
Ten EU countries, including the UK, have now introduced some sort of bank taxing. The recent conference Taxing Banks: the role of tax in post-crisis bank regulation, hosted by the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation and the ESRC, examined this challenging issue.
The Health and Social Care Bill proposes wide-reaching changes to the NHS. ESRC-funded research has examined how increased competition and changes in management could affect the health service.
The Mirrlees Review, which was set up to assess the UK tax system and how it compares with an optimal system of taxation, has published radical recommendations including abolishing stamp duty, fuel duty and National Insurance, replacing VAT and reforming council tax.
The Independent Commission on Banking has drawn on research evidence in its recommendations. Several projects examining the banking sector and different reform options have been funded by the ESRC.
Innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are of great importance to the economy overall. How are they faring in a climate of reduced demand for goods and services and retreat from risk by credit providers?
The European Central Bank’s decision to buy Spanish and Italian government debt has created a momentary breathing space, but the Euro debt crisis is far from averted. The ESRC has funded several research projects examining financial markets and international regulation.
Research shows that labour migrants leave the country relatively quickly if they are out of work. "A substantial proportion of immigrants leave the host country eventually, and many do so within 24 months," concludes a NORFACE report.
The market of 'modest fashion' is growing ever larger, with women - mostly for religious reasons - using mainstream fashion to achieve their definition of modesty.
The true value of nature can be shown for the very first time thanks to groundbreaking research by hundreds of British scientists published in a major new report – the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA).
Despite the recession average take-home incomes continued to grow in 2009-10, according to an IFS report - but reduced income and increased poverty is predicted for the future.
Planning policies favouring high street shops over out-of-town supermarkets reduces retail productivity, according to SERC research.
The number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work rose to 963,000 in the three months to February, while the total number of unemployed went down by 17,000. ESRC-funded research has examined how recession affects the job market, and the health effects on the unemployed.
The preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games in London are having a positive impact across several areas, according to a pre-games report funded by the ESRC. Environmental, economic and socio-cultural factors are included in the study.
Bigger charities have grown more than smaller charities - but the biggest charities haven't necessarily had the highest income growth.
The impact of foreign ownership on British business is overall positive when it comes to competitiveness.
Reducing taxes on corporate profit is likely to be beneficial for investment, employment and growth - but may make the tax system less fair.
Encouraging people to escape from areas of high unemployment sounds great in theory, but will it work?