Research and analysis

DBT areas of research interest: list of detailed questions

Updated 18 March 2026

1. Industrial Strategy, Business Regulation and Growth

International and global context

1․ Which foreign countries lead in attracting and securing foreign direct investment (FDI) into professional and business services, what do companies gain from going there, and how can the UK replicate those conditions?

2․ What new artificial intelligence (AI) based business-to-business services and sectors are emerging globally, particularly in the US and Europe, that could be developed in the UK?

3․ How does the UK’s professional and business services talent pipeline compare internationally in terms of digital fluency?

Investment, business behaviour and market dynamics

4․ How do investment decision-making processes vary across UK business demographics such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and multinationals and how does this impact the effectiveness of government policies aimed at stimulating investment and growth?

5․ How does short-termism influence businesses’ investment and dividends decisions, and how is this shaped by legal and/or market factors?

6․ How does the amount of investment in intangibles vary by business demographics and sectors? What does this mean for industrial policy?

7․ What role can cost of capital play, for example in economic regulation sectors, and what is its relative importance?

8․ What role can blended finance play in advancing UK industrial policy objectives, such as innovation, green transition and infrastructure, and how might it contribute to long-term UK economic growth?

9․ What is the evidence base on how firms with high growth potential can be identified and supported, including insights into the current pipeline of investible businesses, the directional flow of venture capital investment, and for businesses developing dual-use technology?

10․ How does the adoption of new business practices, such as responsible business conduct (RBC) and digital accounts filing with Companies House, affect UK firms in terms of compliance costs, productivity and data quality, and what are the broader implications for UK economic performance and growth?

11․ What changes could the UK make to its capital markets, including public equity, to make them better equipped to support accelerated economic growth in line with government policy and the Industrial Strategy?

12․ What are the distributional impacts of DBT’s growth policies, and vice versa?

13․ What evidence exists as to the effectiveness of the research and development (R&D) Tax Credit scheme in driving additional investment in innovation?

Technology adoption and digital transformation

14․ What lessons can be learnt, for example in operational and user adoption, from existing Open Banking and early Smart Data initiatives to inform the design and implementation of future Smart Data schemes? 

15․ What are the drivers of regional differences in digital capability and uptake? What are the most promising applications and best international examples of AI for generating high-quality evidence to inform policymaking, and how do businesses perceive DBT’s use of AI to analyse their data in a safe, transparent, and effective manner? 

16․ What are the ethical and regulatory challenges faced by professional and business services or public sector in deploying AI in the workplace, and how does this affect worker wellbeing in the UK? 

17․ What evidence exists relating to company level growth due to increased technology adoption, and what are the implications of technological advancements, for example automation and AI, for trade patterns and employment?

Regulation, standards, taxation

18․ How do thresholds or boundaries in regulatory and tax systems influence business behaviour, productivity and investment?

19․ How do administrative and policy-related costs and burdens (such as investment decisions, operational models and compliance strategies) influence business behaviours, and what is the relative scale of these costs and burdens?

20․ How effective are competition and consumer laws and enforcement, and how should they respond to issues such as online choice architecture (OCA) to enable well-functioning markets?

21․ How do international financial reporting and sustainability standards, such as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Accounting, IFRS Sustainability, European Sustainability, and other emerging regulatory tools affect growth, boardroom decision-making and sustainability practices?

22․ What are the potential impacts of recent and proposed reforms to corporate law and governance frameworks on UK companies, including to the Companies Act, non-financial reporting, audit regulation and requirements, and the use of Corporate Directors in company structures?

23․ How do specific corporate disclosure requirements, for example environmental, social and governance (ESG) or risk reporting, affect UK businesses’ strategic decisions and behaviour, and how do institutional investors interpret and act on this information?

Sectoral growth, innovation and strategic support

24․ What challenges and opportunities are associated with economic growth within each sector?

25․ How can the contribution of the defence sector to growth and national security be measured, including metrics beyond productivity, comparative advantage and investment?

26․ How is the co-operatives and mutuals sector performing and how can it be supported?

27․ What are the new and evolving barriers facing advanced manufacturing sub-sectors, as set out in the Industrial Strategy, that need to be addressed?

28․ What is the impact of automotive and aerospace innovation on the wider UK economy and economic growth?

29․ What factors influence people’s decisions to work or not work in the manufacturing sector? At what points in time do people make educational, training and employment decisions that are relevant to working in the manufacturing sector?

30․ Which engineering biology sub-sectors show the greatest potential for attracting increased investment beyond human health, and how can their success be supported?

31․ What are the current and emerging barriers to scaling up engineering biology applications, and how effective are existing industrial strategy policies in addressing them?

Business capabilities, leadership and resilience

32․ What is the latest evidence on effective approaches and incentives for supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in strengthening leadership and management capabilities, increasing risk taking on new technology deployment, encouraging uptake of digital support, and delivering digital training?

33․ How does business growth and export performance vary between businesses where leaders have different personal characteristics, for example ethnicity, language, culture, gender or disability? What are the best methods and approaches to measure this?

34․ What is the evidence base on factors that influence business decisions and actions during the progression from financial distress to insolvency?

35․ What are the key firm-level and macroeconomic predictors of business insolvency within a 12-month period, and how can they inform early warning systems and policy intervention?

Infrastructure, clusters and economic enablers

36․ Where and how should the government target infrastructure to deliver the Industrial Strategy and enable growth in its 8 growth-driving sectors?

37․ What factors underpin the development of successful clusters for the professional and business services sector, for example the West Midlands cluster, and what are the spillover effects of these clusters on local and regional economies?

38․ Where should increased business investment be targeted for the future growth and global leadership of professional services, and how will planning, financial services and sustainability regulations affect that?

39․ What are the drivers of cluster-based growth and what role do universities play? How can connectivity between clusters be supported?

40․ How do changes in the availability of trade credit affect different sectors and UK competitiveness?

41․ What is the impact of input costs, for example housing or energy, on productivity and dynamism?

42․ How do energy prices affect investment, employment, productivity and competitiveness across sectors, and what are the implications for the resilience and performance of the UK economy?

43․ What is the impact on economic efficiency of different methods of financing net zero?

2. International Trade and Investment

UK trade performance and free trade agreements (FTAs)

44․ What are the main factors influencing UK trade performance, distinguishing between UK-specific factors such as trade agreements, and global determinants including exchange rates and international demand?

45․ What is the evidence for the impacts of the UK’s free trade agreements on trade (goods and services) and on employment levels and job quality by sector, region and worker type?

46․ What is the economic value of non-legally binding provisions and limited-scope trade agreements (‘mini-deals’) within free trade agreements, and how do they contribute to economic growth?

47․ How has the use of bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral agreements changed to drive international trade, investment and economic growth, and what has been the effect of these on UK businesses?

48․ What are the fiscal impacts of free trade agreements, and how could these be estimated? What methods are most appropriate?

Trade barriers, market access and standards

49․ What are the key global trends in market access restrictions and how have the economic rationales for trade barriers evolved across countries and sectors?

50․ What is the relationship between the adoption of global or international standards and how does this affect market access?

51․ What are the impacts of tariff reductions, including unilateral liberalisation and Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs), on economic growth, consumer prices, and supply chain dynamics? How do these effects vary across sectors and product types, and to what extent are costs passed through to downstream industries and consumers?

Investment, institutions and public perception

52․ What drives regional variation in foreign direct investment (FDI) across the UK and what is its relationship with domestic business investment?

53․ How do international organisations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) influence global trade and investment policy frameworks?

54․ What is the UK public’s perception of trade and its impact on individuals, the UK economy and the country overall?

Intellectual property, digital trade and sustainability

55․ What is the impact of changing different elements of intellectual property (IP) regimes, and enforcement of existing IP laws on developing economies?

56․ What intellectual property (IP) activities can contribute most to driving UK economic growth?

57․ How do international regulatory data protection (RDP) and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) influence UK export performance and stimulate domestic research and development (R&D) activity, particularly in high-value sectors?

58․ What is the economic value of UK geographical indication (GI) protected exports and imports, and how does international recognition of UK GIs contribute to trade performance and sectoral competitiveness?

59․ How do international approaches to digital and telecommunications trade policy (beyond free trade agreements) interact with national and international data governance frameworks, and what are the implications for market access, implementation, commercial engagement, and corporate investment strategies?

60․ How does climate change and environmental degradation impact international trade and supply chains?

3. Labour Market and Employment Rights

Labour market dynamics and business decision-making

61․ What are the drivers of changes in labour reallocation between business, sectors and regions, and how do these changes affect UK economic growth?

62․ How do employment regulations and other factors influence employer decision making across employment stages, such as hiring, performance management and termination?

63․ How do businesses react in anticipation of the introduction of new employment rights in terms of business behaviours and operating models?

Pay, participation and employment outcomes

64․ What are the drivers of pay growth at the lower end of the labour market?

65․ What are the spillover effects of a rising minimum wage higher up the pay distribution, and what are the knock-on economic impacts of pay compression? How does the minimum wage influence individual decisions on participation and employment in the labour market?

66․ How does self-employment contribute towards a productive labour market? Does this differ between solo self-employment and other types of self-employment?

Labour rights, enforcement and industrial relations

67․ What impact does collective bargaining and industrial relations have on individual workers, businesses and the wider economy?

68․ What is the effectiveness of various enforcement methods, such as compliance-based approaches and strict enforcement, in terms of their impact and cost efficiency? How should we measure the effectiveness and impact of different labour enforcement interventions?

69․ How effective are collective redundancy consultations in reducing redundancies and improving labour market outcomes?

Labour mobility, trade and skills recognition 

70․ What are the economic impacts of facilitating temporary entry and mobility of business personnel, in terms of supporting and increasing trade and goods?

71․ How do current Recognition of Professional Qualifications (RPQ) arrangements affect key outcomes, from the delivery of critical skills and UK trade opportunities, to national and regional economic growth and labour-market dynamics (demand, wages), and how can the value of these arrangements be measured?

72․ What are the key enablers and barriers to businesses using Mode IV visa routes?

73․ What is the full economic value of securing commitments for short-term business visitors and visitors for establishment purposes in free trade agreements?

4. Economic security and supply chain resilience

Global trade shifts and economic security strategy

74․ To what extent are trends in global trade and investment a reflection of, and a response to, rising protectionism and economic security policies, as opposed to other structural changes in the global economy?

75․ What can be learnt from the effectiveness of actions taken by other countries to promote and defend their economic security?

76․ How do UK businesses perceive and respond to economic security risks, and how do these impacts and adaptations vary across sectors, regions, and business demographics?

77․ What are the risks and opportunities to the UK economy of developing additional powers to respond to acts of deliberate economic pressure with trade and investment restrictive measures? This should include both impact of introducing powers (chilling and deterrent effects) and their use and include a deeper dive into the impacts of powers to impose restrictions on financial services trade and intellectual property (IP) rights.

Supply chains, resilience and strategic goods

78․ How do tariffs affect the resilience and flexibility of supply chains by sector?

79․ What is the evidence base on how bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements, including the UK’s free trade agreements (FTAs), support supply chain integration and resilience, particularly in relation to trade flows with developing countries and risks of preference erosion?

80․ How can the UK’s key industries become more resilient and increase the production of essential goods to respond effectively to sudden disruptions?

81․ What does the evidence suggest about current patterns and future trajectories of demand for critical minerals in the UK, including key domestic and international dependencies, and what factors are shaping these trends?

Market distortion, sectoral challenges and local impacts

82․ What are the main market-distorting practices causing harm to UK businesses operating in or exporting to third-country markets through displacement of exports whether through direct competition or global overcapacity, and in which sectors, and what is their impact?

83․ What are the unique challenges for companies producing dual-use products and technologies? And how can government remove these barriers?

84․ What are different scenarios for the UK battery sector, and how can investment be attracted?

85․ How can the negative impacts of local economic shocks, such as the closure of a large employer, be measured and mitigated?

5. Methodology

Data infrastructure, classification and access methods

86․ How can we enable better use of UK business administrative and survey data by researchers? What are the best ways to solve data cleaning and data use issues that are common across many research areas?

87․ How can standard industrial classifications (SICs) be better aligned with sector and sub-sector definitions, including for industries developing dual-use technologies?

88․ How can the timeliness and granularity of trade in services data be improved?

89․ What data and methods can be used to better track the movement of goods from origin to final destination?

90․ How can the data and methods used to estimate UK sub-national and inter-regional trade be enhanced?

Economic modelling and quantitative estimation techniques

91․ How can DBT quantify the impact of economic scarring?

92․ What is the relationship between trade and productivity, and what is the best way to measure it?

93․ What methodologies should be used to estimate the ad-valorem equivalent of Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs)?

94․ What methods could be used to better estimate services trade elasticities?

95․ How can an Industrial Organisation subsidy model be built to estimate the impact of subsidies?

96․ How can trade policy uncertainty be accounted for in the modelling of trade policy outcomes?

97․ What novel business intelligence methods or other models could be used to analyse and understand the impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and their macroeconomic consequences?

98․ What are the most valuable use cases for using agent-based modelling (ABM) to identify risk factors for UK trade and investment?

Supply chain and trade impact measurement methods

99․ How can DBT measure the impact of supply chain resilience measures, including the management of changes in global trade and political events, taking into account reliance on both UK and overseas suppliers?

100․ What methodologies can enhance supply chain transparency regarding labour practices?

101․ How can we improve measurement of cross-border digital trade and assess the impacts of digital trade agreements on trade flows?