WBS research informs UK government

On 30 March Prime Minister Tony Blair gave one of his series of lectures on the theme of Our Nation's Future about the biggest challenges facing the UK. In this lecture, given at Manchester, the Prime Minister focused on the changing nature of work, the ways in which the UK economy has evolved since the Labour Party took office a decade ago, and the role of work in the modern world.

An article by the Industrial Relations Research Unit's Linda Dickens and Mark Hall, assessing the impact of New Labour's employment legislation, was among submissions by opinion-formers considered by the Prime Minister when writing this lecture. Full details can be viewed on the official archive of the Prime Minister's website, including a direct link to Linda Dickens' and Mark Hall's paper.

"No. 10's request to be able to publish the paper on the website came as something of a surprise", said Linda. "We know that IRRU's research over many years has informed high-level policy makers but this is the first direct hit we're aware of at prime ministerial level."

Dickens and Hall's paper, entitled Fairness - up to a point, was published in Human Resource Management Journal in autumn 2006. It is based on their review of research into the impact of employment legislation since 1997, carried out for the Department of Trade and Industry. The article provides an overview of the main research findings and identifies factors affecting legislative impact and employer compliance. Dickens and Hall argue that New Labour's willingness to promote social justice, fairness and security has been contingent on the extent that it can be argued to promote and support business interests and to underpin economic efficiency.

Commenting on No. 10's use of the article, Mark Hall said "It's pleasing to know that our research has been recognised - and hopefully taken account of - by the government."

The second reference to WBS research involved Margaret Hodge, Minister of State for Industry & the Regions at the Department for Trade & Industry. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 on 8 March, she referred to the Centre for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprisesground-breaking research on the state of finance for SMEs in the UK. In particular, she took note of CSME's findings that women entrepreneurs paid more interest on bank loans than their male counterparts, and discussed the Government's plans to take action on this through support for women starting their own business.