Oct 15, 202650 minS4
Is the UK’s recent productivity recovery a sign of lasting improvement? How could AI, technology adoption and shifting global economic conditions shape the country’s future productivity? This episode of Productivity...
government
Productivity Puzzles
Hosted by The Productivity Institute · government · EN
About this Podcast:
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 podcast series investigates why UK productivity is lower than in many other countries and why are there such large differences in productivity across and within the regions and devolved nations. We’ll also get the best insights from research on smart policies and effective business practices to increase productivity and find out how this will drive prosperity, wellbeing and inclusive sustainable growth. Productivity Puzzles is brought to you by The Productivity Institute, a research project involving nine academic institutions across the UK, eight regional productivity forums
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
33%
Guest openness
Selective
80/100
Required Score
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What is Productivity Puzzles about?
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...
Who hosts Productivity Puzzles?
Productivity Puzzles is hosted by The Productivity Institute. The show has published 57 episodes to date.
What has Productivity Puzzles covered recently?
Recent episodes include "What Will It Take to Raise UK Productivity?" (15 October 2026, 50 minutes), "Why do Firms (not) Invest?" (25 June 2026, 52 minutes), and "Ask the expert on… keeping Britain working: health, work and productivity" (1 May 2026, 28 minutes).
How often does Productivity Puzzles publish?
Productivity Puzzles publishes roughly monthly, with episodes averaging 47 minutes across 57 episodes.
How hard is it to get booked on Productivity Puzzles?
Booking probability for Productivity Puzzles is 33%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Productivity Puzzles requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Productivity Puzzles's contact route on record: verified email.
Who should pitch Productivity Puzzles?
The strongest fits for Productivity Puzzles are Business & Management Consulting. Productivity Puzzles has a government audience.
About the host
The Productivity Institute hosts Productivity Puzzles, a government podcast with 57 episodes published.
Verified host email: ████████@████.comSign in to unlock →
Recent episodes
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #10
Why do Firms (not) Invest?
Jun 25, 202652 minS4Why do firms invest when they do and not necessarily when they should? Are firms too cautious to invest? Or just realistic about uncertainty? Is the real investment gap about money or about mindset? This episode of...
- May 1, 202628 minS4
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...
- Apr 30, 202631 minS4
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...
Episode #7
Ask the expert on… what is productivity?
Apr 29, 202630 minS4Do 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...
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- Apr 28, 202630 minS4
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...
- Apr 27, 202631 minS4
Why do places matter for productivity? If productivity is local, why is policy still so centralised in the UK? Productivity varies widely across regions, shaping economic opportunity and growth. Drawing on international...
- Mar 17, 202651 minS4
Why does productivity vary so widely between NHS organisations? Can new technologies like AI and remote monitoring help the health service seize the opportunity to redesign care for the long term? This episode of...
- Jan 16, 202651 minS4
What does it really mean to grow a place? This episode unpacks the concept of place-based productivity and explores how it differs from traditional regional development. The discussion examines real-world examples and...
Episode #2
Will We Get a Productive Budget?
Nov 18, 202546 minS4The Chancellor’s Budget is on the horizon. Will it bring higher taxes, deeper cuts, or more borrowing? Does the Budget really matter for productivity? And how does productivity shape the Budget? This episode of...
Episode #1
Lessons Learned and What’s Next?
Oct 23, 202546 minS4Productivity is the key to economic growth and living standards. But has the productivity puzzle been solved yet? Have we been asking the right questions? And what’s next? After five years of research at The...
- Jun 19, 202553 minS3
This episode explores the vital link between international trade and the UK's productivity challenges. Host Bart van Ark is joined by three experts as they discuss why trade matters for productivity, the current state...
Episode #11
Books Festival: Diane Coyle & Jan Mischke
May 29, 202557 minS3This episode explores new insights into the productivity puzzle from two fresh pieces of work. First, Diane Coyle discusses her book The Measure of Progress, explaining why what we measure is profoundly important but...
Episode #10
A Regional Productivity Agenda for England
Apr 16, 202558 minS3Regional growth is a key component for improving productivity growth in the UK. The gaps in productivity between English regions are unusually large compared to other countries. Why is that? What can be done about it...
- Jan 30, 20251h 2mS3
In this episode of Productivity Puzzles, we examine the productivity performance of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. How do the three devolved nations perform on productivity? What are the differences and the...
- Jan 23, 202555 minS3
How do different leaders within a firm think about productivity? This can vary significantly between the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Human Resources Officer, and the Chief Information Officer. How do they work...
- Dec 19, 202450 minS3
2024 has been quite a year. A new government, big plans, but a growth and productivity revival isn’t visible yet. These things take time. Is the UK still on track for a reset of policy to boost growth and productivity...
- Oct 3, 202453 minS3
With a new government in town, industrial strategy is back. Why now? How will it help growth and productivity? How do we get it right? And, perhaps equally important, how do we make sure we don’t get it wrong this time...
- Jul 18, 202452 minS3
Why is business model innovation the key to an organisation’s productivity? What does it take to do it right? New technologies and new business practices don’t just come out of the blue. They happen because firms embed...
Episode #4
UK Election 2024: A Productivity Plan
Jun 27, 202452 minS3The election manifestos published in the second week of June 2024 sparsely recognise the importance of productivity. This is perhaps because it's not the most glamorous topic for voters to be excited about being...
Recent guests
Recent guests on Productivity Puzzles. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
T
Tera Allas
Honorary Professor at Alliance Manchester Business School, Productivity Institute at the Alliance Manchester Business School
S
Sir Charlie Mayfield
lead of the 'Keep Britain Working' review and former Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership
D
Diane Coyle
Bennett Professor of Public Policy and Co-Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge
J
Jack Shaw
Senior Advisor at Labour Together and Policy Fellow at The Productivity Institute's Policy Unit, Bennett Institute for Public Policy
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