Anna Valero

Anna Valero is a Professor in Practice and Director of the Growth Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance; Deputy Director of the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion (POID) and an Associate of the Grantham Research Institute.
Anna was a member of the Steering Group of the Resolution Foundation-CEP Economy 2030 Inquiry, funded by the Nuffield Foundation; and a Research Director for the LSE Growth Commission. She is currently serving as Industrial Strategy Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, having served as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers in HM Treasury in 2024-25. Anna has previously held a number of advisory roles for the UK government and policy institutions, including membership of the previous Chancellor’s Economic Advisory Council, the Office for Budget Responsibility Advisory Panel, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Economic Advisory Council, the Green Jobs Delivery group, the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Organisational Landscape Review Sounding Board, BEIS R&D Places Advisory Group, and National Leadership Centre (Cabinet Office) Research Expert and Academic Advisory Panel. She is a member of the Royal Economic Society Council for the period 2024-2029.
Anna completed her PhD in Economics at the LSE in 2018, having started her career in Deloitte audit and economic consulting.
Research interests
- Productivity, innovation and sustainable growth
- Management practices
- Higher education and skills
- Industrial policy
- Business microdata
Research
Research - 2021
In this article, we draw on the theoretical and empirical evidence on the opportunities, drivers and policies for innovation-led sustainable growth. We highlight the importance of a coordinated set of long-term policies and institutions that can enable and foster private sector investments in clean innovation and assets quickly and at scale. Read more
Policy
Policy - 2024
This paper presents new evidence to inform industrial strategy prioritisation of clean energy technologies in the UK. Read more

This briefing, produced with the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP), highlights that rapid growth in renewables means more than 40% of the UK’s electricity is now generated this way. The briefing goes on to explain that reaching net zero by 2050 will require a massive uptake of electric vehicles, heat pumps and efficiency upgrades in homes alongside an even faster rapid scale-up of clean power. Read more

A collection of essays authored by academics from universities across the UK that explores a range of topics often featured in public and policy discussion on climate change, with the aim of bringing together clear evidence setting out the reality of climate change in the UK while dispelling common myths. Read more

This report sets out the need for long-lasting institutional and policy frameworks that can induce investment in a broad range of assets in the UK to drive the transition to a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy. Read more

Policy - 2023
This report examines the potential contribution of tidal stream energy to sustainable growth in the UK to assess whether this constitutes a strategic priority. Read more

Policy - 2022
Response to the call for evidence made as part of the Independent Review of Net Zero commissioned by the UK's Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Read more

This report examines how-well placed the UK is to make the required investments for a successful net-zero transition, and the wider economic impact those investments might have. Read more

Policy - 2021
Efforts are growing to quantify and characterise the ‘green economy’, and to identify opportunities to be seized and challenges to be overcome in the transition to net-zero. This report and accompanying policy brief shed light on the quantity and quality of current green labour markets, to inform policy action and future research. Read more

CCUS is necessary for the UK to reach its net-zero goals. This report assesses economic and potential employment opportunities and implications for the skills needed, as well as transferable strengths and capabilities from other sectors and barriers and enablers for CCUS growth in the UK. Read more

Policy - 2020
This paper sets out six key areas, where government investment could create jobs and advance the fight against climate change in the UK. Read more

This briefing paper sets out the key areas where strong economic policies and institutions will be needed to foster investment for the post-COVID-19 recovery, building on discussions in the Royal Economic Society's webinar series chaired by Professor Lord Stern. Read more

In advance of the Budget, this policy report highlights areas of the UK economy where the public sector could leverage private investment and in so doing contribute to achieving the strategic priorities of regionally balanced growth and decarbonisation. Read more

News
News - 2024
The Spring Budget marks another missed opportunity to make progress on boosting living standards and increasing investment in a sustainable and resilient future for the UK, write Esin Serin, Anna Valero and Dimitri Zenghelis. Read more

This news article reports on a new study which suggests there has been a significant growth in green businesses and... Read more

The UK urgently requires political leadership to access opportunities for stronger and more resilient growth while reducing macroeconomic volatility and restoring health to the public finances, write Anna Valero and Dimitri Zenghelis. Read more

This opinion piece reflects on the debate within the UK Labour Party over its green investment plans. The article references... Read more

This article discusses a new report by leading economists, including Lord Stern, which calls for the UK to make major... Read more

This article reports of criticism of the UK Prime Minister’s plans to expand oil and gas exploration in the North... Read more

News - 2023
Ahead of the Autumn Statement, Anna Valero, Esin Serin and Brendan Curran argue that effective measures to promote greener growth will be essential to ensuring that the UK does not fall behind other countries when it comes to incentivising investment that is good for society and the environment as well as the economy. Read more

Esin Serin and Anna Valero explain why further weakening of climate policy in the UK's King's Speech endangers global efforts to keep the 1.5°C target alive and lacks environmental, economic and political logic. Read more

The UK Government has watered down its commitments to net zero, breaking the cross-party consensus on the need for Britain to lead in the global battle against climate change. This commentary argues that now is the time to double down on policy action before it is too late. Read more

The 2023 Spring Budget was a key moment for the UK Government to make progress providing the building blocks for a productive, sustainable and resilient future. Esin Serin and Anna Valero ask: to what extent has the budget taken us in the right direction? Read more

News - 2021
The UK government has delivered on its promise to publish a strategy for driving the country’s economy towards net-zero emissions by 2050. Esin Serin and Anna Valero write that the economy-wide Net Zero Strategy provides further proof of the UK’s ambition to lead on global climate action as it calls on other countries to follow suit. Read more
News - 2020
There’s an opportunity to build a new social contract, tackle inequality, foster innovation and adopt a long-term industrial strategy, write Sam Unsworth and Anna Valero, discussing some of the issues raised from a recent webinar hosted by the Royal Economic Society on policies for a strong and sustainable recovery from COVID-19. Read more
