Climate change is no longer a future threat, it’s a present-day reality that is reshaping economies, ecosystems, and societies around the world. As mitigation is no longer enough; adaptation is essential. Yet, despite increasing recognition of the need to invest in adaptation, global efforts remain fragmented and underfunded. In our latest episode of Top of the Agenda, guest host Tim Jenkinson is joined by Sophie Talarico, Climate Policy Manager, and Sandra Hanni, Head of Climate Policy, both from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), alongside Georgia Davies, Senior Consultant at Oxera. Together, they explore how the private sector can play a pivotal role in advancing and scaling up climate adaptation solutions.

The UK government aims to stimulate economic growth by encouraging more investment in British businesses. One potential source of that investment is pension funds, but would such policies truly serve the long-term interests of savers and/or the short-term needs of the economy? In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Dr Helen Jenkins speaks with Julian Franks, Professor of Finance at London Business School, and Sean Thomas, Principal at Oxera. Together, they explore the challenges governments face in designing policies that boost productivity and drive sustainable growth.

Earlier this year, the European Commission set out its recommendations for implementing its clean industrial deal—aimed at supporting the EU’s decarbonisation goals while maintaining global competitiveness. Although sectors like electricity generation have seen substantial emissions reductions, many industrial areas still face a steep path ahead. In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Dr Helen Jenkins speaks with Christophe Schramm, Head of Strategy and Sustainability at Siemens Energy, and Sahar Shamsi, Partner at Oxera. Together, they discuss how decarbonising industry throughout Europe is essential for achieving net zero goals and examine the key challenges—including policy gaps, regulatory uncertainty, and the need to align financial investment with climate ambitions.

Despite progress in education, women remain significantly underrepresented in many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) fields—and those who do enter are more likely to leave mid-career. In the UK, for example, women make up 30% of economics undergraduates, but just 15% of professors. So why are we still failing to retain this highly skilled and educated talent? In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Dr Helen Jenkins is joined by Doctor Clémentine Van Effenterre, Professor at the University of Toronto, and Professor Sarah Smith OBE, from the University of Bristol. Together, they delve into the structural barriers, unconscious biases, and rigid career pathways that contribute to the attrition of women in STEM—and discuss what needs to change to build more inclusive and sustainable careers in the field.

Across developed economies—including the UK, France, Japan, and the US—productivity growth has been slowing for decades. This trend appears to contradict the rapid pace of technological innovation, particularly in AI, and the transformative effects of globalisation. So why, despite all this progress, is economic growth falling? In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Dr Helen Jenkins is joined by Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford. Together, they explore the paradox of declining productivity in an age of innovation, drawing on Professor Goldin’s extensive experience advising global institutions on economic growth, development, and migration.

The green transition isn't just about switching from fossil fuels to renewable or zero-carbon sources—it also requires smarter, more efficient use of energy. By harnessing technology, improving energy efficiency, and generating power closer to where it’s consumed, we can cut both costs and carbon emissions. In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Dr Helen Jenkins is joined by Jonathan Maxwell, founder and CEO of Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL). Together, they explore how private finance can play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable infrastructure, the opportunities and barriers in deploying energy-efficient technologies, and using private finance to support these new technologies.

In this episode, one year on from their conversation in the very first Top of the Agenda podcast, Dr Helen Jenkins welcomes back Professor Richard Susskind CBE. Together they delve into the themes in Professor Susskind’s new book, ‘How to think about AI: A guide for the perplexed’, and share their thoughts on how we all need to think much more about AI to both harness the opportunities for humanity and avoid and mitigate the risks. Following on from the discussion Dr Sebastian Wernicke, a Partner at Oxera and an expert in leveraging data science, machine learning and AI, joins Helen to share his insights on how businesses and governments are thinking about and responding to the challenges of implementing AI today.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles have long been a key factor in Boardroom discussions and decisions. However recent political developments—particularly in the US—have sparked a stark change in direction. Is it all over for ESG, or is there a future? In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Doctor Helen Jenkins is joined by Professor Marco Becht, Executive Director and Fellow of European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), and Dr Luis Correia da Silva, Partner and Chair of the Board at Oxera. Together, they discuss the evolution of ESG since its inception in the early 2000s, what the current political shift could mean for businesses and investors, and how the ESG agenda may move forward.

The second episode in the Top of the Agenda series on private equity demystifies leveraged buyouts (LBOs); a widely used yet controversial private equity strategy. While LBOs can offer the potential for substantial returns by using debt to finance acquisitions, they also come with significant risks such as excessive debt burdens and aggressive cost-cutting measures. Helen Jenkins and Tim Jenkinson, Oxera Partner and professor of finance at the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, explore the potential of LBOs to unlock value, rejuvenate companies, and drive growth while also addressing how they can negatively impact long-term business performance, sometimes leaving companies worse off.

When companies engage in price fixing, abuse their market dominance, or form illegal cartels, consumers and businesses can suffer but since 2015 in the UK and 2020 across the EU, collective actions are challenging these anti-competitive practices and are seeking compensation. Many of us may even be members of a class action without even knowing it and could be due some compensation. In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by James Hennah, a Partner in Linklater’s litigation arbitration and investigations practice, and Kimela Shah, a Principal at Oxera who specialises in consumer and collective actions. Together, they discuss the latest legal developments, the landmark cases and the evolving framework for collective redress.

Will reducing or changing economic regulation kickstart our economy? As policymakers across Europe seek ways to boost economic performance, the role of regulation is under the spotlight. Should economic regulators actively promote growth, or does their core purpose lie elsewhere? In the UK, recent government pressure on regulators to support economic growth has reignited this question.   In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by Sir John Vickers, Warden of All Souls College, Oxford, and Luis Correia da Silva, Oxera Chair. Together, they explore how economic regulation influences growth, competition, and market stability.

Why should businesses support gender diversity? Oxera and Business in the Community (BITC) have worked together to research the business case for gender equity and diversity. Their findings reveal that companies with higher diversity report increased sales revenue, expanded customer base, and greater profit margins than their competitors. These organisations also saw better decision making, greater diversity of thought and experience, and higher staff engagement. The full report will be released in early 2025.   In this episode of Top of the Agenda, we offer an exclusive preview of BITC and Oxera’s key insights, recorded live at an event. Join Charlotte Woodworth, Gender Equality Campaign Manager at BITC; Khaldia Al Kasm, Senior Consultant at Oxera; and Jessie Davidson, Consultant at Oxera, as they discuss the findings. Helen Jenkins is also joined by Rob Catherall, Principal at Oxera, for a deeper dive into the research and its implications.

How can Europe become more innovative to succeed in an increasingly competitive and uncertain global environment? The recent report by Mario Draghi on the future of European competitiveness is a sobering read that highlights the low growth and productivity performance of the EU over the last two decades and proposes major change initiatives, including improving innovation. In this episode of Top of the Agenda Helen Jenkins is joined by Mathias Dewatripont, Professor of Economics at Universite Libre de Bruxelles, and Giulio Federico, Oxera Partner. Together they discuss the Draghi report’s call to improve innovation and what challenges and solutions it proposes.

What is private equity? What do PE firms do, how do they make their money, and why do companies seek out private equity investment? The term private equity often conjures up images of exclusive deals, high stakes investment, and elite financial circles but plenty of companies use it successfully to supercharge scaling up. In the first of a series of Top of the Agenda episodes on private equity, Helen Jenkins is joined by Professor Tim Jenkinson Oxera Partner and professor of finance at the University of Oxford's Said Business School. Together they discuss the fundamentals of private equity and how to reconcile the differing perspectives on it.

The debate as to whether or when dynamic pricing is fair and reasonable continues, and there are even calls for it be banned. Dynamic pricing has been in the news recently, with backlash from fans trying to secure a ticket to see Oasis in concert. You will have experienced dynamic pricing when booking a holiday or buying tickets for a concert if you’ve seen prices rising in response to high demand or you got a last-minute bargain. In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by Amelia Fletcher, Professor of Competition Policy, Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, and Helen Ralston-Smith, a Partner in Oxera’s competition and regulation practices. Together they discuss how pricing strategies affect both businesses and consumers, what economics can tell us about these different strategies, and whether they are advantageous to consumers.

In the UK, and across Europe, there are many public-funded areas crying out for more investment. However, the context of low growth, high levels of public debt and public interest payments, mean that tough decisions on spending priorities across public services, infrastructure and social security have to be made. In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by Sir Philip Rutnam, Chair of the Council of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, and former Permanent Secretary at the UK Department for Transport and Home Office, and Andy Meaney, a Partner and Head of Transport at Oxera. Together they discuss how governments can use economic analysis to decide how to spend scarce public funds. How should we allocate funds to health, transport, education or social support? And then once those decisions are made, do we opt for fewer potholes or more bus services; more or better-paid doctors, or more MRI machines?

Streaming is bringing more access, more music and more flexibility for the listener, but at what cost? The face of music has changed dramatically in the last 15 years. Technology shifts mean that distribution methods have changed, with cassette tapes and CDs consigned to history’s scrap heap. Streaming has fundamentally changed how we consume music and also how artists and creators are rewarded.   In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by Will Page, former chief economist at Spotify and PRS for music and a thought leader on the economic dynamics of the music world, and Leon Fields, a Senior Consultant at Oxera who is also a musician in his spare time. Together, they discuss the economics of music, tackling questions such as: is it sustainable? Is live performance the answer? And is AI set to drive the next big shake up in the industry?

Online, every click and swipe is subtly influenced by how choices are presented to you. In a world where what we watch, listen to, read, and buy is the result of responding to the choices presented to us on a screen, this choice architecture is hugely important.   We may not think much of selecting to ‘accept all cookies’ on a website to get to the content faster or making a quick purchase because we are told there are ‘only two rooms left’. However, these deceptive or dark patterns are designed to exploit inherent decision-making biases to change your choices, often to the benefit of the supplier rather than you. How can we identify and test the effects of these patterns and how, ultimately, can we make these choices fairer?   In our latest ‘Top of the Agenda’ podcast Dr Helen Jenkins talks with Marie Potel-Saville, founder and CEO of Amurabi and Fair Patterns, and Dr Anastasia Shchepetova, a Senior Consultant in Oxera's behavioural economics team. They discuss how we can test these effects, reduce companies’ use of these deceptive patterns online and create a more user-friendly digital space.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology which is set to affect every aspect of our daily lives. Will AI drive vehicles, diagnose dementia and cancer, write novels and beat us at our favourite games? Or is that future here already? In our latest ‘Top of the Agenda’ podcast, Dr Helen Jenkins is joined by Professor Richard Susskind OBE, who shares his wealth of knowledge and expertise as we explore the economic and political implications of AI and its transformative potential. Following on from the discussion, Lirio Barros, a Consultant in Oxera’s digital practice shares how foundation models, one of the key elements underpinning generative AI, are evolving in tandem with digital sector regulation and competition policy, and what this means for policymakers and businesses in Europe and beyond.

This year’s theme for International Women's Day, on 8 March, calls for us to embrace equity. Our latest Agenda podcast explores how financial inequality and the gender investment gap put women in financially vulnerable positions that can then be exacerbated by further challenges—such as the cost-of-living crisis. Listen to Anna Martin (Financial Services Officer at BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation), Dr Helen Jenkins (Oxera Partner), and Dr Karen Croxson (Deputy Chief Economist and Head of Research for Economic Data, Science and Behavioral Science at the UK Financial Conduct Authority) discuss the issues that arise from earnings and employment gaps, outline how this is heightened by gaps in investment and savings, and explore how and why they exist. We then look to what policies, market changes, and other actions might help women to have more equitable access to financial markets and employment opportunities, and how barriers can be broken down to create change.