National Needs Assessment: when is evidence good enough?

Leading Economist Bridget Rosewell says that judgement will still need to play a big part in assessing our infrastructure needs of the future in her article National Needs Assessment: when is evidence good enough? Published recently on the Infrastructure Intelligence website, you can read the article HERE. Bridget Rosewell is a member of the National Infrastructure Commission, […]

‘Good Enough’ evidence?

We all want evidence based policy and decisions.  However, deciding what constitutes evidence and what standard of proof is required is another matter.  And of course this is especially challenging when we need to explore what will happen, rather than what has happened.  Will this policy work?  Will this investment pay back?  It’s not clear […]

High Speed North – building blocks for the Northern Powerhouse

An article by leading economist and member of the National Infrastructure Commission Bridget Rosewell. The National Infrastructure Commission launched its third report on 15th March looking the connectivity needs of the Northern Powerhouse.  Recommendations include improving the key rail link between Manchester and Leeds which is at the heart of the East West link, focusing […]

Bridget Rosewell announced as Commissioner for National Infrastructure Commission

Volterra partners Paul Ormerod, Paul Buchanan and Ellie Evans are delighted to announce Bridget Rosewell’s appointment as Commissioner on the independent National Infrastructure Commission. On Friday 30th October at the National Railway Museum in York George Osborne announced Bridget Rosewell as one of the seven highly experienced Commissioners to work with Lord Andrew Adonis. The new National Infrastructure Commission has […]

Do short-term governments affect the UK’s productivity?

Since the economic crisis labour productivity growth in the UK has been very poor. The Bank of England estimate that output per hour (productivity) is 16% lower than it should be given pre recession trends. With output recovering and high levels of employment, many argue that the so-called ‘productivity puzzle’ is the reason behind lagging […]