Ben Sweetman
Head of Data Analytics
Ben joined Policy Exchange in August 2023 to work on the Policy Programme for Prosperity. As part of his Economics degree at the University of Bath, Ben undertook a placement year at the Office for National Statistics where he helped to produce the ‘Economic activity and social change in the UK’ bulletin – a weekly report which analyses developments across various sectors of the UK economy.
Related Publications
Beyond Our Means
Download Publication Online Reader The UK faces a twin-pronged fiscal crisis. At about 100% of GDP, public debt is inordinately high and is set to rise a good deal further. Debt interest alone accounts for about three quarters of the government’s budget deficit. And at close to 45% of GDP, the share of government spending in GDP is close to a post-war high, which in turn leads to levels of […]
The NHS – a Suitable Case for Treatment?
Download Publication Online Reader ‘The NHS – a Suitable Case for Treatment?’ makes the case that the NHS is not fit for purpose and is in urgent need of reform.The report finds that NHS performance ranks near the bottom of highly developed countries on key health outcomes including life expectancy, avoidable mortality, and waiting times. The NHS consumes approximately 9% of GDP each year and the health budget is now […]
The Costs of Crime – And How to Reduce Them
Download Publication Online Reader This report from Policy Exchange is the latest in Policy Exchange’s landmark Policy Programme for Prosperity. Providing a detailed breakdown of the costs of crime and a series of proposals of how to reduce them – the report has calculated that the tangible costs of crime to the United Kingdom are about £170bn or around 6.5% of GDP. Of these costs, about £38bn are inflicted on businesses, […]
Driving Growth
Download Publication Online Reader The new Government has stated that its highest priority is economic growth. There are few measures that would give an immediate, large boost to economic performance. Introducing a full system of road pricing, where motorists pay according to the distance, time and place they travel, is one such measure. As it stands, congestion on UK roads is costing the economy between 1.4% and 2.5% of GDP every […]
The UK's Broken Housing Market
As the new Labour Government takes up office, Policy Exchange’s new report, ‘The UK’s Broken Housing Market: Causes, Consequences, and Cures’, sets out the need for urgent reform to the housing market. The report authors argue that: The highest priority for the new Government must be housing and planning. The UK is experiencing a crisis of housing affordability, both in the purchase price of a homes and in the private […]