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Ian Brinkley

Job Title:  Programme Director - Knowledge Economy

Current Programme:  Knowledge Economy

Email:   ibrinkley@theworkfoundation.com

Telephone:  020 7976 3606

Biography

Ian is Director of the Knowledge Economy programme having joined the Work Foundation in June 2006.  The first Knowledge Economy Programme ran from 2006 to 2009. The second Knowledge Economy Programme will run from 2009 to 2011.

Ian previously worked at the Trades Union Congress between 1980 and 2006. He was Head of the Economic and Social Affairs Department at the TUC from 2004 to 2006 and TUC Chief Economist from 1996 to 2006.

Prior to 1980 he worked as a researcher at the University of Kent and the Centre for Environmental Studies.

He has been a member of the Low Pay Commission, the body that sets the UK’s National Minimum Wage (NMW) from 2004 to 2006.

He has worked in a wide range of economic and industrial policy and research areas, including economic policy, public spending and public service reform, labour markets, energy and the environment and manufacturing policy and produced numerous submissions to government and analytical papers.

He regularly provides economic and labour market commentary, interviews and articles for the Foundation.

 

Recent TWF publications as sole author include Defining the Knowledge Economy (2006); Trading in Ideas and Knowledge (2007); Enterprise and the Knowledge Economy (2008); Manufacturing and the Knowledge Economy (2009); Recession and the Knowledge Economy (2009) and How Knowledge is Reshaping the Economic Life of Nations (KE Programme report); co-authored reports include Labour market Polarisation and Efficiency (2006), Hard Labour (2008) and Knowledge Work and Knowledge Workers (2009).

 

Publications

7 out of 10: Labour Under Labour 1997-2007

The Labour government deserves ‘7 out of 10’ for its effect on working life during the last decade, this report suggests

Hard Labour: Jobs, unemployment and the recession

With the likelihood of a prolonged recession growing, this report urges the government to adopt a bold package of measures to stave off unemployment. It argues that the scale of the crisis justifies some decisive intervention to boost the economy.

Manufacturing and the Knowledge Economy

The old divide between manufacturing and services is eroding – notably in the high-tech, knowledge intensive sectors. Manufacturing remains economically critical to the UK.

Knowledge Workers and Knowledge Work

What do people do all day in the course of their work? A major new survey of 2011 workers analyses the scale of knowledge work across the UK.

A Boost for Britain: The case for activist fiscal policy

In a paper ahead of the budget, The Work Foundation argues that affordable fiscal activism is necessary to reduce the growing threat of mass unemployment.

Recession and Recovery to 2020

Is this the turning point of the recession? Where has the impact been felt most and where will growth come from? This working paper analyses the state of the knowledge economy today and to 2020.

The Jobs Gap: A statement from The Work Foundation

An analysis of the private sector's ability to absorb the impact of cuts in public sector jobs.

The Budget: An assessment from The Work Foundation

The Work Foundation's response to the Budget on 22 June 2010.

Events

The Work Foundation Business Strategy Conference

Drivers of Growth: What will winners look like? Clear evidence now points to the kinds of companies and organisations that will prosper in the global future facing the UK.The Work Foundation business strategy conference on the knowledge economy was held to understand which investments in people and organisational models will provide the drivers of growth and competitiveness that bring the UK out of the current downturn and sustain profitable, competitive edge companies and cities.

Manufacturing in a Knowledge- Based Economy

Against the background of the BERR Manufacturing Strategy Review, this event focused on the role of modern manufacturing in the economy.

Partner Workshop: Accounting for Intangibles

The 'value paradox': How do you find a way of effectively accounting for intangible assets with existing accountancy conventions? Following the launch of a new report commissioned by the Knowledge Economy programme, this event explored the challenges facing intangible- rich businesses, including (SMEs).

Partner Seminar: A Sustainable Knowledge Economy in 2020

There is a growing consensus that we need to rebalance our economy. This event looked at how we go about that and what the implications might be.

Do the British make anything anymore? Why the UK needs to nurture its manufacturing sector.

"We are currently seeing an incredible renaissance for the manufacture sector." Will Hutton, Executive Vice Chair of The Work Foundation ( chair ). "This is the right time to be ambitious about manufacturing." Stefan Stern, The Financial Times. Led by The Work Foundation and EEF, this event called on the Government to build further on the recent strategy review of manufacturing by making sure manufacturing has access to the same levels of finance as financial services.

Partner Workshop: Future Scenarios for the Low - Carbon Economy

Forming part of our forward-looking Knowledge Economy research programme, this discussion-based session examined the potential for a drive towards a low-carbon economy to create new, high-quality work in the UK by 2020.

Innovation, Creativity, Entrepreneurship: New drivers for a new economy

In this seminar we will set our a vision for how the 2020 economy should look, what the key economic activities are that we must focus on, and how do we get from where we are to where we need to be over the next decade.

Post-Budget Breakfast Briefing

As the new government grapples with reducing spending in order to cut the UK’s very high public sector deficit, it also faces the challenge of encouraging and supporting a fragile private sector recovery in order to increase revenues. But what impact is this likely to have on jobs, growth and business?

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