This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at making England’s ‘devolution revolution’ a reality. By May, over half of England’s population will live in an area covered by a metro mayor. The mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) they lead have already shown their capacity to take on responsibility for key local economic...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what is driving the differing performance of prisons around the country. More work and education and increasing access to open prisons could turn around over a decade of strikingly poor prison performance in England and Wales. This report, the first in a new...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how local leaders and central government can successfully navigate the challenges of ‘dual delivery’. The government has launched an ambitious programme of local government reorganisation that will bring remaining two-tier areas in line with the unitary authority system that operates across most English...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government is their annual, data-based assessment of the UK civil service over the past year.  High staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay are hindering the civil service’s ability to deliver Labour’s missions. Whitehall Monitor 2025, the IfG’s annual data-driven stocktake of the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government puts forward recommendations to help the government set a clear direction and a coherent asylum strategy. The government must exert its authority over the whole asylum system and avoid short-sighted measures aimed at conjuring an illusion of control. This report puts forward recommendations to help...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government outlines what powers are available to metro mayors to drive regeneration. The regeneration of disused, deprived and deindustrialised urban areas across England will be crucial to the government’s ability to achieve its economic growth targets. It will also bring other benefits, like reducing regional inequality...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how government can set up public bodies better. As government priorities change, particularly after a general election, there is often a need to set up new institutions to deliver on those priorities. Public bodies can be well placed to do this. If set...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government examines the impact of Labour's first budget on public services. The outgoing Conservative government left public services in a precarious state. Waiting lists in the NHS are stubbornly high, councils are on the verge of bankruptcy, backlogs in the criminal courts are at record levels...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government recommends a range of steps that government can take to make youth work more accessible and sustainable. Youth work is proven to have positive outcomes for young people in the short term – including improved mental health, educational attainment, and reduced crime and antisocial behaviour....

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government focuses on the five key priorities for the incoming cabinet secretary. Cabinet secretary is a unique job. The postholder must be at once totally loyal to the government of the day while representing the continuity of the state beyond any single administration. They must warn...