Hidden Signs of Economic Hope for Britain by Jim O’Neill

The consensus about the United Kingdom in the wake of Brexit is that its economy may be impervious to reform. But long-term trends in urban housing prices and regional productivity growth suggest otherwise.

LONDON – A recent edition of the Economist has an amusing if somewhat desultory lead article about the current state of the United Kingdom, describing it as a national version of Poundland, the discount store where everything was originally sold for £1 or less. Supplementary articles addressed some of the UK’s myriad other problems, including long-term debt sustainability, which is understandable, given that the latest annual report on the issue by the Office for Budget Responsibility makes for rather bleak and sobering reading.