Publications

The Desire for Income Equality Amongst the UK Adult Population

Whilst there is a volume of literature mapping out the evolution, causes and implications of income inequality across countries, there is little in-depth evidence concerning the desire of populations for income equality. This paper tackled this gap by presenting UK evidence from a large-scale adult population survey for 2003. The headline result was that 75 per cent of the UK adult population preferred a fairer income distribution.

A Note on Productive Learning

We use a standard production function to identify the impact of learning-by-doing on the productivity of labour, human capital and physical capital. Using data from a representative sample of 1,000 UK businesses, we observe that learning effects on labour and human capital productivity are highest when firms are very young. By contrast, learning has the greatest effect on the productivity of physical capital the older a firm becomes.

Performance Related Pay Coverage in the UK

A simple model of firms' decisions to pay workers performance related pay (PRP) is tested using company level data for 1,001 UK private sector businesses. From the basic sample statistics we observe that, on average, 26.5 per cent of workers are covered by PRP systems. Yet this hides the fact that only 50.5 per cent of businesses have any workers at all covered by PRP.

The Present and the Future

Gender Differences in the Nature and Scale of Entrepreneurial Activity and Potential Activity in the UK

In this paper we provide detailed evidence from a UK adult population survey on various measures of entrepreneurial activity or potential activity. In doing so we not only put hard figures on the nature of women's involvement, but show precisely what types of women are physically active as entrepreneurs, or are likely to become engaged in future entrepreneurial activity. For comparative purposes we present identical information for men.

The Role of Loan Guarantee Schemes in Alleviating Credit Rationing in the UK

It is a widely held perception, although empirically contentious, that credit rationing is an important phenomenon in the UK small business sector. In response to this perception the UK government initiated a loan guarantee scheme (SFLGS) in 1981. In this paper we use a unique dataset comprised of small firms facing a very real, and binding, credit constraint, to question whether a corrective scheme such as the SFLGS has, in practice, alleviated such constraints by promoting access to debt finance for small credit constrained firms.

Small Firm CEOs and Outside Directorships

Tenure, Demonstration and Synergy Effects

We investigate the determinants of the number of outside directorships held by CEOs of small, unquoted companies. CEOs of growth orientated firm's hold more outside directorships, as do CEOs of more complex firms. This reflects the need to acquire...

Still at Work?

An Empirical Test of Competing Theories of the Long Hours Culture

In this study we use a large-scale European worker survey to test the validity of several competing hypotheses of why people work long hours. Our results show that there is a labour/quality of leisure trade-off for women, but not for men. Other key determinants of long working hours are industry sector, occupational status, gender and job security proxied by employment contracts.

The survival and growth of 'adolescent' high-tech firms in Germany and the UK, 1997-2003

This report documents over a twelve year period (1991-2003) the continued fortunes of 600 independent New Technology-based Firms (NTBFs) which were founded in Germany or the UK between 1987 and 1996. The findings on these firms, often known as 'high-tech start-ups', had significant implications for policy makers in the complementary areas of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.