At the request of the UK government’s Department of Industry and Trade—and with the support of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the London School of Economics—we carried out a comprehensive evaluation of the United Kingdom’s competitiveness. The analysis placed special emphasis on the quality of management practices, linking them to the country’s productivity performance and innovation capacity. Our findings challenged prevailing policy assumptions, shifting the national debate toward tackling chronic productivity issues and the tendency toward short-term decision-making. The project’s influence extended well beyond its completion, shaping future policy directions aimed at strengthening the UK’s long-term economic performance.
