In the debut episode of Economic DNA of Nations, we explore the paradoxes of the UK economy. Once a manufacturing powerhouse, Britain has transformed into a service-driven financial hub—yet struggles with stagnant productivity, inequality, and regional divides.

From Thatcher’s neoliberal reforms to Brexit’s lasting impact, we trace the forces that shaped today’s economy through multiple lenses—Keynesian, neoliberal, institutional, and developmental.

Can the UK overcome its productivity puzzle, bridge its North–South divide, and lead the green transition? Or will it continue to rely on finance while falling behind global peers?

Next time: Singapore—how a tiny nation built an outsized economic model.