In the Autumn 2017 edition of CentrePiece:

In this edition:

The growing inequality between firms

Some firms pay well while others don?t; and some are highly productive while many aren?t. New research describes an emerging pattern of increasing inequality of wages and productivity between firms in the manufacturing a... Read more...

In brief... How the rise of the service economy narrowed the gender gap

The historical growth in the service sector since the Second World War has created jobs for which women have a comparative advantage, according to analysis by Rachel Ngai and Barbara Petrongolo. Their research shows how ... Read more...

Industry in Britain: an atlas

The UK?s financial services industry is not nearly as London-centric as the creative industries. Rather than the South East of England being the country?s productivity engine, it is a band stretching west from the capita... Read more...

Dark web: the economics of online drugs markets

The online market for buying and selling drugs is resilient and seems to bounce back rapidly after the exit of a large platform like Silk Road. That is one of the findings of research by Stephen Machin and colleagues, wh... Read more...

In brief... Where top science gets done

Large-scale facilities like the Diamond Light Source synchrotron in Oxfordshire have the power to create concentrated geographical clusters of scientific research. According to new research scientists? proximity to Diamo... Read more...

Stamp duty, mobility and the UK housing crisis

The UK?s stamp duty land tax raises substantial revenues for the government, but it also contributes to the UK?s housing crisis by preventing households from moving to more suitable homes. That is the central conclusion ... Read more...

Happiness at work

Work-life balance is a particularly strong predictor of people?s happiness. High degrees of job satisfaction can hide low levels of engagement at work. Happiness helps to shape job market outcomes, productivity and firm ... Read more...

In brief... Brexit: the impact on prices

Following last year?s referendum on the UK?s membership of the European Union, there has been a significant rise in consumer prices, particularly food prices. Rising prices coupled with limited increases in nominal wages... Read more...

The labour market impact of refugee waves

Recent research has challenged the consensus that sudden inflows of refugees have little or no impact on natives? wages and employment, claiming instead that there are uniformly large detrimental effects on natives witho... Read more...