#006. Lisa Nandy: UK's Levelling Up, progressive politics, and localism

Policy Works

We kick off 2023 with Lisa Nandy, a member of UK's Labour Party and Member of Parliament for Wigan since 2010. She serves as the Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities & Local Government. In the past, she has also served as Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and Shadow Minister for Education.

In this episode, Lisa talks to us about:

- the UK’s productivity challenges and its 'leveling up' agenda

- the politics of economic reforms, and why progressives globally are unable to understand the level of economic discontentment

- how she looks back at the economic legacies of Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown

- the "everyday economy" that is the backbone of our modern economy

- regional inequalities and regionalism in the UK

- how to to devolve power and build state capacity

Lisa has a new book out titled "All In: How We Build a Country that Works", where she unpacks the range of socioeconomic challenges that the UK faces, including the winners and losers from globalization, regional inequalities, and underinvestment, and outlines a vision for inclusive development. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/all-in-how-we-build-a-country-that-works-lisa-nandy?variant=40704030408738.

Learn more about the Reimagining the Economy project: http://reimagining-the-economy.hks.harvard.edu