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Tax cuts are a popular vote-winner the world over. The current hopefuls for the leadership of the U.K. Conservative Party – and the next British prime minister – have certainly taken this to heart since Boris Johnson’s resignation announcement on July 7.
As a major economic and diplomatic leader, the U.K.’s next prime minister will set the agenda not only for the country, but for its global relationships and its major industries such as financial services. Tax cuts could be a key factor in helping people survive the current uphill battle against inflation and the rapidly rising cost of living. They could also be used to encourage economic growth and boost lagging U.K. productivity.
With the July 21 deadline for the party to decide on the final two candidates looming, all are pushing tax cuts as a vote-winner – it certainly worked for Margaret Thatcher in the late 1970s. Today’s hopefuls differ greatly in terms of what to cut, by how much and how soon.
As The Open University’s Alan Shipman explains, however, tax cut talk may win votes, but it is an economic gamble.
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Alan Shipman, The Open University
Some leadership contenders seem to have big plans for a smaller state.
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Quote of the week 💬
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“Even with ideal landscape management, wildfire risks to communities will continue to increase, and retreat from the wildland-urban interface will become increasingly necessary. The primary question is whether that retreat will be planned, safe and equitable, or delayed, forced and catastrophic.”
– Emily Schlickman, Brett Milligan and Stephen M. Wheeler of University of California, Davis, from their story A case for retreat in the age of fire
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Workers
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Claudine Mangen, Concordia University
Burnout is a serious problem that deserves all of our attention. An academic who studies the issue offers some practical tips to deal with the problems associated with burnout.
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Janette Young, University of South Australia; Saravana Kumar, University of South Australia
A successful pet-friendly workplace depends on confronting and addressing all the risks.
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Inequality
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Hannah J. Dawson, University of the Witwatersrand; Ruth Castel-Branco, University of the Witwatersrand
Digital platform work is often seen to suit workers’ skills, interests and schedules. But it comes at a cost to their economic security and control over the work process.
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Technology
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Angsana A. Techatassanasoontorn, Auckland University of Technology; Antonio Diaz Andrade, Auckland University of Technology; Bill Doolin, Auckland University of Technology; Harminder Singh, Auckland University of Technology
Research shows a significant number of people still struggle with the digital transformation of government and business. But throwing more technology at the problem is not necessarily the answer.
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