• News and events home
• News
• Events
• Features
• Press Office contacts

Seeking the Holy Grail: An economy that works for everyone

Posted on 13 June 2016

The York Festival of Ideas collaborates with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation this week for a Focus Day exploring political decision-making and its impact on social mobility.

On Friday 17 June, top columnists and leading economists will discuss the changing political and economic landscape, the future of banking, children and economic inclusion, the British class system and the economy of tomorrow.

Speakers include economists Vicky Pryce and John Kay, Guardian columnists Owen Jones and Zoe Williams, Sir Julian Le Grand of the London School of Economics, and Lynsey Hanley, author of Respectable.

Joan Concannon, Director of the Festival of Ideas, said: “We are delighted to work with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to present a stimulating day of talks exploring the interface between political and economic decision-making and its impact on society and financial security for all.”

The Focus Day commences at 10.00am at the University’s Ron Cooke Hub.

Speaker details:

Vicky Pryce is a Board Member of the Centre for Economics and Business Research. Her recent posts have included: Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting; Director General for Economics at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS); and Joint Head of the UK Government Economics Service where she was responsible for evidence based policy and for encouraging measures that promoted greater productivity in the UK economy.

Vicky co-founded GoodCorporation, a company set up to promote corporate social responsibility. She sits on the Department for Business Innovation and Skills' panel monitoring the economy and is on City AM's Shadow Monetary Policy Committee.

Professor John Kay is one of Britain’s leading economists. His interests focus on the relationships between economics and business. His career has spanned academic work and think tanks, business schools, company directorships, consultancies and investment companies.

John chaired the Review of UK Equity Markets and Long-Term Decision-Making which reported to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in July 2012. He contributes a weekly column to the Financial Times and is the author of many books, including The Truth about Markets (2003) and his latest, Other People’s Money, was published by Profile Books in September 2015.

Zoe Williams writes for the Guardian and the New Statesman. She writes political commentary, interviews and reviews. Her work has also appeared in other publications, including The Spectator, the London Cyclist and the Evening Standard where she contributed columns on a variety of subjects, and a diary about being a single woman in London.

Lynsey Hanley is the author of Respectable (Allen Lane) and Estates: An Intimate History (2007) and is a frequent contributor to the Guardian, the New Statesman, and many other publications. She makes regular appearances on TV and radio, including Newsnight, Start the Week and Night Waves. As well as an Honorary Research Fellow at Lancaster University, she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Demos advisory council.

Explore more news