Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population in England. They are to a large extent driven by individuals’ differences in socio-economic circumstances, such as levels of income, employment, education and exposure to crime and are measured by deprivation. High levels of deprivation can have wide-ranging… Read More
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models have recently been garnering the attention of the public and policymakers alike, and how best to regulate foundation models (and AI more generally) is subject of widespread debate. This report prepared for Meta contributes to the debate regarding AI policy and regulation in two main… Read More
On 14 March 2023, the European Commission published its proposals for reform of the electricity market design. This followed a period of prolonged high electricity and gas prices, during which several stakeholders highlighted the challenges of the current market design, advocating for changes to the current arrangements. More recently, the… Read More
As part of its proposals for reform of the electricity market design, the Commission has proposed that any low-carbon generation that requires financial support from governments should be supported by two-way Contracts for Difference (CfDs) or other mechanisms that provide, in addition to a revenue guarantee, an upper limit on… Read More
Open Banking in the UK has been a qualified success to date. It is used by 7m consumers and businesses and 68m Open Banking payments were made in 2022. However, this success must be kept in perspective. These users only account for around 10% of the UK’s adult population and… Read More
Finding a new job is hard; so is finding the right employee to fill a vacancy. This can limit how much firms and employees are able to grow, both commercially and professionally. There are many causes, ranging from the fact that the job-finding process can be highly individualised to the… Read More
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is in the process of reviewing risk weights on banks’ assets. Allica Bank commissioned Oxera to review the PRA’s proposals, particularly as they are likely to affect Allica’s, and various other banks’ core activity, SME lending. SME finance is important for the general health of the… Read More
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA) has recognised the importance of companies reporting accurate information for the efficient operation of financial markets in its recent consultation on the quality of corporate reporting. In particular, in its Call for Evidence on the… Read More
The European Commission has published a proposal on its regulatory approach towards ‘instant payments’ (‘IPs’), which are bank credit transfers settled in real time. In the EU, the technical standard for IPs is SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (‘SCT Inst’). The existing credit transfers that are not in real time are… Read More
Ill health among working-age people presents a substantial and rising cost to the UK economy, individuals and taxpayers. Addressing this challenge is not only socially desirable but an economic imperative. Oxera was asked by The Times to estimate the costs of ill health among the UK working-age population, to support… Read More
