James Plunkett

James Plunkett is Secretary to the Commission on Living Standards, a wide-ranging investigation into the pressures facing people on low-to-middle incomes. He joined the Resolution Foundation in October 2010, prior to which he was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. From 2008 to 2009 he worked in the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit at Number 10 Downing Street, where he focused on a range of issues including education, social mobility and technology policy. He has also worked in the Cabinet Office and as a strategy consultant in the private sector. As Secretary to the Commission, James’ work focuses on the long-term economic trends that are changing the nature of life on low-to-middle income in modern Britain, from the changing shape of the labour market to trends in the cost of living and family working patterns. His work also examines the implications of these trends for the welfare state and public services. Throughout 2011 and 2012, the Foundation will be publishing a series of reports on these topics. James is a regular contributor to the media and writes for a wide range of political and social policy blogs.