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Productivity Puzzles

The Productivity Institute
Productivity
UK Productivity
Uk Economy
Investment
Business Model Innovation
Industrial Strategy
Skills Development
Economics
Innovation
Infrastructure
The Productivity Institute
Tax Policy
Place-Based Policies
Government Policy
Devolution
Regional Disparities
Artificial Intelligence
Digital Technology
Supply Chain
Small and Medium Enterprises

Join Bart van Ark, Professor of Productivity Studies at the University of Manchester, and the managing director of The Productivity Institute as he brings you discussions with leading minds from the UK and abroad about how to improve productivity for almost everything: from health care to car manufacturing, at national and regional levels, for business and for your own personal productivity.

This... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes54Founded5 years ago
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Artwork for Productivity Puzzles

Latest Episodes

If one in five working‑age people are inactive, what does that say about the UK’s productivity problem? Why does ill health push so many people out of work in the UK, but not in peer countries?

Rising economic inactivity linked to health has become ... more

If universities are engines of growth, why isn’t productivity accelerating? What’s the point of educating graduates if regions can’t keep or use them?

Skills are central to regional economic performance, but translating the supply of graduates into ... more

Do we need to rethink how we measure productivity in the age of digital technologies and AI?

Productivity is a fundamental measure of how effectively people, firms and places transform resources into improved living standards. Diane Coyle talks abou... more

Why doesn’t digital technology always translate into productivity growth? What if the technology and your business model don’t quite fit?

Despite unprecedented advances in digital technologies, productivity growth has stalled, revealing a striking p... more

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Recent Guests

Charles Mayfield
Chair of the Government Commission, Keep Britain Working Review
Keep Britain Working; Government Commission
Episode: Ask the expert on… keeping Britain working: health, work and productivity
Duncan Ivison
President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Manchester
University of Manchester
Episode: Ask the expert on… skills, education and regional productivity
Diane Coyle
Senior Management Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Episode: Ask the expert on… what is productivity?
Philip McCann
Sir Terry Leahy Chair in Urban and Regional Economics at Alliance Manchester Business School
Alliance Manchester Business School; The Productivity Institute
Episode: Ask the expert on… regional productivity and place-based growth
Anita Charlesworth
Health economist, co-chair of NHS Productivity Commission
Health Foundation
Episode: What Does it Take to Improve NHS Productivity?
Mark Britnell
Healthcare systems expert, professor at UCL
Global Business School for Health, UCL
Episode: What Does it Take to Improve NHS Productivity?
Jeff Anderson
Professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, researching European political economy.
Georgetown University
Episode: Place-Based Policy Making in Modern Times
Jan Mischke
Partner at the McKinsey Global Institute in Zurich, focuses on productivity across countries and sectors
McKinsey Global Institute
Episode: Books Festival: Diane Coyle & Jan Mischke
Richard Jones
Vice President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement at the University of Manchester and a Professor of Material Physics
University of Manchester
Episode: Wrapping Up 2024: Is there a productive growth path forward?

Host

Bart van Ark
Professor of Productivity Studies at the University of Manchester and Director/Managing Director at The Productivity Institute; widely featured as host and moderator across episodes.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 26 ratings
  • Very informative on a highly significant subject. Look forward every new episodes.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    asen
    4 years ago

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#204
United Kingdom/Government
Apple Podcasts
#219
Canada/Government
Apple Podcasts
#134
Singapore/Government
Apple Podcasts
#135
Israel/Government
Apple Podcasts
#143
New Zealand/Government
Apple Podcasts
#171
Ireland/Government

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What Does it Take to Improve NHS Productivity?
Q: How can we change the culture in NHS to support innovation and learning?
Culture change requires a unified goal, empowered local leadership, and incentives aligned to better outcomes; it also involves building an innovation and learning culture where productivity is viewed as reform and growth, not a threat to staff.
What Does it Take to Improve NHS Productivity?
Q: What are the four major drivers identified in the report, and why do they matter for productivity?
The four drivers—workforce, capital, technology, and transformation—matter because they collectively determine how effectively inputs like staff, buildings, and digital tools are converted into better patient outcomes, with investment gaps in capital and a need for organizational change to maximize technology benefits.
What Does it Take to Improve NHS Productivity?
Q: From your perspective, where are we now on productivity in the NHS, and what progress has actually been made?
There has been some progress but productivity growth has not returned to pre-pandemic trajectories; gaps persist across trusts due to bottlenecks, misaligned incentives, and limited capital, but there are opportunities to close these gaps through better management, diffusion of best practices, and strategic investment.
Ask the expert on… keeping Britain working: health, work and productivity
Q: What role do SMEs play in the Keep Britain Working initiative?
SMEs are a key focus; the Vanguard program includes many SMEs, emphasizing that even smaller organizations can implement practical, scalable health and wellbeing measures.
Ask the expert on… keeping Britain working: health, work and productivity
Q: How should return-to-work be structured?
Return-to-work plans should be simple, employer-driven, and involve the employee and workplace health provider, with possible phasing, additional support, and periodic check-ins.

Audience Metrics

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Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Productivity Puzzles

What is Productivity Puzzles about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thought-provoking series focused on productivity across sectors, regions, and policies in the UK and beyond. Episodes frequently center on how local conditions, regional strategies, and national policy interact to boost productivity, with in-depth discussions of place-based policymaking, budget implications for growth, measurement challenges, and the role of technology and trade in diffusion and adoption. Noteworthy is the consistent curation of expert panels from academia, government, and industry, exploring practical levers for faster project delivery, skills development, and more coherent tax and investment policies. The format tends to blend theoretical insight with real-world cases from cities and regions, offering actionable conside... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Productivity Puzzles?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Productivity Puzzles:

1. Resolution Foundation Event Recordings
2. Centre for Cities
3. The Economics Show
4. Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government
5. Political Fix

How many episodes of Productivity Puzzles are there?

Productivity Puzzles launched 5 years ago and published 54 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Productivity Puzzles?

Recent guests on Productivity Puzzles include:

1. Charles Mayfield
2. Duncan Ivison
3. Diane Coyle
4. Philip McCann
5. Anita Charlesworth
6. Mark Britnell
7. Jeff Anderson
8. Jan Mischke

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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