Articles

The Institute for Government is launching its Ministers Database, which holds information about all government ministers since 1979 – who served as a minister, in which roles, and for how long. We hope that making this publicly available will allow a range of researchers to benefit from this unrivalled source of information in their work....

In an industry that champions evidence-led responses, think tank communications strategies are rarely guided by insight. Instead, communications is too often led by outputs. Pre-agreed commitments to the funder to create “communications products” (a phrase that makes my heart sink) no matter what the research finds or what current events are shaping the world. This...

As a sector that seeks to represent the views and interests of society when examining public policy, think tanks should expect to be representative of, or at least listening to, the whole of society. But as previous work from Smart Thinking, the Social Mobility Commission and others has shown, the policy sector and think tanks...

Government must do more to tackle insecure work in the UK By Rebecca Florisson (The Work Foundation) The recent Queen’s speech indicated that the much-anticipated Employment Bill has again been delayed. This Bill could have played an important role in addressing severely insecure work. Proposals to improve job quality and security as set out in...

A good designer does not just design and typeset a report to be aesthetically pleasing, they use their expertise to ensure there is nothing, within their control at least, that prevents its message from being effectively processed by its audience. In our work as graphic designers at Rubber Duckiee there are several common issues we...

How think tanks raise funds and how much they reveal about their financial sources have been the subject of much discussion. The recent survey by Smart Thinking showed a broadly even split between those who think all donations should be declared; those who believe it should only be for any donations over £500 and those...

Universities must find ways to cultivate a sense of belonging amongst students By Alexis Brown (HEPI) It’s no secret that students have had a rough time of it during the pandemic. Those who weren’t in university yet missed out on the standardised tests and schooling that would normally prepare them for higher education, and those...

Ahead of the Spring Budget we asked a range of think tanks what would be the one thing they would focus on and include. Don't overcomplicate the cost of living response, just give people cash By Dr Aveek Bhattacharya (Social Market Foundation) In January, with inflation growing and the energy price cap set to rise,...

Digital government services must be made truly accessible to reduce inequalities By Josh Abel (Fabian Society) The pandemic has brought the digital divide to the forefront of public policy debate. During lockdown, far too many children were unable to learn from home because they could not access the internet and millions of households faced social isolation because they were...

As COP26 comes to a close what are some of the changes we can make in cities that can help with the net zero agenda? A greater uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is required By Rebecca Foster (Bright Blue) The UK’s pledge to reach net zero by 2050 will ultimately require significant changes to the way...

As the United Kingdom celebrates its 100th year in its current reconfiguration we asked how power should be shared going forward. Focus on how to embed metro mayors and combined authorities into major public investment decisions By James Heywood (Centre for Policy Studies) The UK is one of the most centralised nations in the developed...

The growth and extent of world trade is staggering. In 1950, trade accounted for just 8.6% of world output (GDP). By 2008 it accounted for an astonishing 60% of world GDP, involving $20 trillion in goods and over $5 trillion in services. Despite setbacks — financial crises, wars (including Trump-style trade wars) and even pandemics...

Ahead of the Spring Budget we look at how Universal Credit could be reformed in the recovery from Covid-19. For Universal Credit to provide an adequate safety net it must be properly funded By Paul Hackett (The Smith Institute) If Universal Credit is to provide an adequate safety net it must be properly funded. Making...

The coronavirus pandemic has been defined by data. How that data has been communicated and presented has really mattered. There have been some great examples of how to do it – think the early representations of ‘flattening the curve’ and charts from the likes of the Financial Times, Our World in Data and others –...

President Biden arrives in office with a full foreign policy in-tray, albeit one that will have to compete for attention with myriad domestic priorities from tackling run-away virus to repairing the foundations of its own democracy. Most of America’s traditional allies will let out a huge sigh of relief that his predecessor has left the...