Matt Whittaker

Better evidence, better outcomes: The business case for a Civil Society Evidence Organisation | PBE Civil society is one of the UK’s greatest assets. It is driven by innovation, rooted in communities, and committed to tackling some of the nation’s most complex challenges, but it faces barriers that ...

Civil society is one of the UK’s greatest assets, but it needs a Civil Society Evidence Organisation (CSEVO): a hub to access evidence, cut duplication & support smarter decisions.

We have a plan: £2.5m over 5 yrs, co-funded by government and the sector.

Read the report: pbe.co.uk/publications...

Every LGBTQ+ young person deserves a safe space  | PBE Charlie* was looking for somewhere they could explore their emerging identity and feel supported as they considered socially transitioning – that is, beginning to live and be recognised in everyday li...

Free2Talk offers something vital for LGBTQ+ young people: a safe, identity-affirming space to belong.

@karol122.bsky.social and @charlotteprothero.bsky.social share Charlie’s story, and the value of the programme which could deliver £4 of wellbeing benefit for every £1 spent.

Read it here 👇

Prioritising wellbeing: A strategic imperative for balanced business outcomes | PBE By Hannah Pearsall, Head of Wellbeing, Hays UK&I In today’s rapidly evolving work landscape, the question isn’t whether wellbeing should be part of corporate strategy – it’s why any forward-thinking b...

The evidence is overwhelming: prioritising wellbeing drives measurable benefits for employees, shareholders, customers, and wider society.

In her latest article for our ‘Economics to improve lives’ series, Hannah Pearsall, Head of Wellbeing at Hays UK&I says wellbeing is a business imperative.

I'm not sure re the recordings, so will check..

And agree re the networking. As we grow and develop the network over time we'll want to do some in person events too.

Wellbeing for the next generation: lessons from Sure Start and beyond | PBE By Lord David Blunkett I was recently asked in an interview what I thought was the “good life”, which rather threw me. What is a “good life” for one person might be an absolute nightmare for another. ...

What is “the good life”?

Lord Blunkett argues it’s not just about money: dignity, purpose, community & a fair start in life all matter.

His article in the #EconToImproveLives series makes the case for investing in young people’s wellbeing, from early years to employment.

pbe.co.uk/insights/wel...

Yeah, the timeline can be pretty long sometimes. But if you've got the worst of the pain out of the way early on, told a good story about it all, and can point to things moving in the right direction, then the power of the incumbent means there's a decent chance the 'next' government is also you

Unpopular *in the short to medium term*, right? Voters might need reminding when the payoff comes, but it will come. That's why, when handed an unexpectedly large majority, a government should be rubbing its hands together and saying "oh boy, now we get to do the unpopular but good stuff"

📣Calling analysts working in and around the social sector. Come join the next @pbe.co.uk Social Sector Economists Network meeting and explore new work on perinatal depression and on the size of the UK’s impact economy 📣

2 October | 10:00–11:30 | Online
events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7b825d...

Wellbeing valuation workshop request | PBE If you are interested in attending the workshop, please complete the form below. We will get in touch after reviewing your request to let you know if we can help.

Online training for analysts on using HM Treasury’s wellbeing guidance

In partnership with State of Life and LSE, the workshop will give you the tools to use wellbeing measurement in business cases, appraisals and evaluations.

4.5 hour workshops across 21 & 23 Oct

Apply to attend👇

Wellbeing boost from disability benefits outweighs cost - Understanding Society Wellbeing boost from disability benefits worth £12,300 per person New case study shows wellbeing boost from disability benefits worth £12,300 per person

New case study! Charity @pbe.co.uk used our data to show that the £28 billion annual bill for disability benefits creates £42bn in positive effects

I wonder if that bee has ever encountered a larger comedian

(In the physical sense, that is. The odds are firmly against it having met one with a bigger presence).

Typically thoughtful - and thought provoking - stuff from @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social on the urgent need to understand how AI disruption is playing out across society (for better and worse) and then respond accordingly. Another great contribution to the @pbe.co.uk 'Economics to improve lives' series

Economic progress in the age of AI | PBE By Diane Coyle If you spend less than four hours and 20 minutes a day online, you are below average for the UK. Using apps and online services, many of them free, is part of the fabric of daily life…

"Without suitable measures of organisations’ adoption of AI, policymakers will be unable to shape this powerful technology in ways that benefit society as a whole." - @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social's in her new article for #EconToImproveLives

pbe.co.uk/insights/eco...

The brilliant 808 State tonight

Here's a slightly crazy diagram illustrating today's major Cabinet reshuffle

You're welcome

Sticky prices and sh*tty platforms • Resolution Foundation Hi all, Set your calendars for late November — and no, not just Radiohead’s first tour in seven years. It’s Rachel Reeves’s second Budget (see our chart of the week for more). Reeves is under pressure...

A Radiohead and Resolution Foundation crossover? Yes please! Great Top of the Charts from @ruthcurtice.bsky.social and team. Would love to see footage of the editorial meeting that rejected options like High and Dry, Reckoner & Electioneering though www.resolutionfoundation.org/comment/stic...

"Powerpoint Plant" was right there

Throw in access to the swimming pool and regular ice cream drops from Jack and it starts to sound positively utopian

Scrap two-child benefit cap to help lift 4m people out of poverty, government urged Exclusive: Cross-party Poverty Strategy Commission says abolishing limit would be part of its ‘once in a generation’ plan

Out tomorrow: our expert, cross-party Poverty Strategy Commission report. We propose a new social contract & plan to lift 4.2 million people out of poverty, incl 2.2 million stranded in deep poverty. Thanks @patrickjbutler.bsky.social for the insightful write up www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Funnily enough, after you'd left Sue said something along the lines of "can we keep him?" which, taken out of context, is pretty kidnappy

Fascinating paper exploring the economic impact of populist leaders coming to power. Lots in here but two key things for me:
1. Over 15 years GDP/capita decreases by 10%; with
2. No discernible change to inequality over same period.

Paper: iacmr.org/wp-content/u...

HT @justinwolfers.bsky.social

Have fun everyone! Looking forward to see what you do with our data! Big shout to @jamesdgriffiths.bsky.social and Stuart Perrett for all of their great work on this too!

Beyond ‘beyond GDP’ | PBE By Hetan Shah I was involved in some of the calls for improved measurement of wellbeing in the early 2000s. Two decades on, sometimes the debate feels like it has not moved on sufficiently from those ...

‘Let us not risk getting trapped in the last war.’ My piece for @pbe.co.uk on why the wellbeing v GDP framing has run out of road
pbe.co.uk/insights/bey...

The lovely people @britishelectionstudy.com released the random probaility data which means we can begin to unravel some unanswered questions about turnout in 2024.

A substack to follow but a starter of social class and vote/non-vote. Which party represents the working class? None of the above.

Timely release as far as I'm concerned because 50% of the people in my house (not me) are looking for jobs at the moment. Can confirm that driving instructor adverts are VERY prevalent!

Chart detailing the average live online job adverts recorded across the 12 months to July 2025 for the 20 occupations with the highest volume. For this group, monthly averages vary from around 15,000 (records clerks and assistants) to around 32,000 (care workers and home carers).

In terms of absolute numbers of adverts recorded in the most recent period, caring openings dominate, with IT, food preparation, maintenance, admin and service roles also featuring at the top of the list. Full data (including split by local authority) posted here www.ons.gov.uk/releases/lab...

Chart detailing the proportional change in the number of live online adverts for different jobs in the period between July 2017 and Juy 2025. Monthly averages across 12-month periods are used, and chart shows the changes in the 20 occupations with the largest recorded increases. Top categories include veterinary nurses, coffee shop workers, paramedics, dental practitioners, driving instructors and therapy professionals.

Chart detailing the proportional change in the number of live online adverts for different jobs in the period between July 2017 and July 2025. Monthly averages across 12-month periods are used, and chart shows the changes in the 20 occupations with the largest recorded decreases. Biggest fallers include web design professionals, telephone salespersons, clothing and fashion designers, publicans and managers of licensed premises, travel agents, hairdressers and barbers and IT professionals.

Lots of reasons to tread carefully with this ONS data on online adverts, but it’s an interesting glimpse of some potential post-Covid changes in the jobs market. Biggest increase in adverts come in care and health (human & animal) occupations, and baristas. Some big drops in personal services and IT

A square tile with a photograph of a young person wearing a rainbow flag as a cape. It shows two of the key stats from the report: Higher mental health risks, 3x the rate of their non-LGBTQ+ peers. and £15,600 per participant of annual wellbeing benefits from the Free2Talk programme.

LGBTQ+ young people in the UK face a severe, unequal mental health crisis.

Services like Free2Talk offer life-changing, cost-effective help, but they need greater support. 1/7

pbe.co.uk/publications...

With no obvious way to square the circle on public opinion, the government could instead shift the terms of the discussion. Transparency on how our tax base has shifted, a celebration of the rewards that significant, broad-based revenues can unlock, and some bravery in the face of media opposition

Line chart showing trends in the proportion of adults thinking that taxes should either rise, stay the same or fall to support more or less spending on health, education and social benefits in the period from 1991 to 2024. At the start of the period, there was a clear majority in favour of increasing tax and spend, with only 4% favouring active reductions. From around 2007 to 2015, the most popular response was to maintain current levels of tax and spend, but increasing taxes and spending became the leading response thereafter. More recently, the neutral and increase positions converged at around 40% each in 2024. Both proportions have fallen a little though, with a rise in the proportion favouring reducing taxes and spending to 10%+.

Overall, we still overwhelmingly want to maintain or increase tax and spending. But we’re increasingly reluctant to draw more income from middle income households (even as their tax rates have fallen). And a tax-the-rich strategy is also less popular than it once was (not to mention hard to deliver)