This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation discusses the labour market outlook in the final quarter of 2025. Employment has fallen over the past two years and is substantially lower than it was before the pandemic. Perhaps surprisingly given its central place in policy debates, participation is essentially unchanged compared to pre-pandemic: rising...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society discusses providing income security for the self-employed. There are 4.4 million self-employed people in the UK. This is 13 per cent of people in work, and they make a substantial contribution to the economy. While some are relatively well off, average net income for a full-time...

This report from UK think tank City-REDI discusses the need to empower town and parish councils. Dr Amy Burnett (LPIP Place Fellow), Dr Jason Leman (Citizen Network) and Dr Daniel Ozarow (Middlesex University) examine how town and parish councils could play a central role in making devolution work for communities. This discussion paper was developed...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at the position of Europe's clean tech industry between Trump's policies and Chinese pressure. Europe’s large and growing clean tech industry – from wind turbines to electric vehicles – is being hit from several directions. The US’ Trumpian U-turn on green industrial policy...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at aligning productivity and security for resilient growth. Europe’s economic model is under increasing strain as productivity growth stalls and geopolitical competition intensifies. A new CER policy brief, ‘Resilient growth: Aligning productivity and security’, by Aslak Berg and Zach Meyers, argues that the...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities shows that London's suburban high streets are performing better than the rest of the country. Most of London’s suburbs outperform Brighton, Oxford and York city centres – three of the UK’s top five cities and towns for high street occupancy. High average incomes are the main...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines how low income households can benefit from smart data initiatives. Smart data has the potential to help people to access the best products and services – saving them money while facilitating product innovation. Despite this, and cross-party backing, challenges remain around whether the market...

This report from UK think tank NCUB looks at the evidence on collaboration between universities and businesses. NCUB’s annual State of the Relationship report is an evidence tool to strengthen collaboration between universities and businesses. It offers important insights into the scale and nature of interactions between universities and businesses, identifying patterns and trends over...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation puts the Autumn Budget 2025 decisions on tax, spending and borrowing into context. The Chancellor’s second tax-rising budget arrived under dark clouds, but forecasts came in better than feared. But even though she was saved from the worst predictions of past weeks, the Chancellor still faced...

This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines community empowerment and living heritage in 2026. Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill coming into action in the UK. The paper provides an initial provocation as to whether 2026 could provide the strongest mandate yet for valuing community culture and...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities addresses exactly where British cities should increase density and how they can do it. Britain needs more homes – and it needs them in its cities. The housing crisis, inefficient urban transport, and the underperformance of major urban economies all point in the same direction: higher-density urban...

This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines business cases and place-based funding. This report critically examines the application of the Better Business Case Green Book model by practitioners when seeking to secure past place-based economic development funding. The business case framework is used to appraise and manage the development of an intervention, as set...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation recommends measures to strengthen personal finances and provide a boost to the UK economy. Britain is a country of investors – they just don’t know it. This report outlines the current state of the UK’s retail investment landscape, highlights the shortcomings that mean households are...

This report from UK think tank City-REDI argues that social value must be reclaimed as a driver of system change. This policy brief argues that social value must be reclaimed as a driver of system change rather than reduced to compliance exercises. It outlines a stewardship approach across three dimensions – procurement, governance, and community...

This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust compares intergenerational social mobility and higher education in the US and UK. Social mobility remains a key challenge for both the UK and US. Despite successive governments stating a clear desire to improve social mobility and putting in place bodies to promote this (for example, the...

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,...

'Levelling up' has become one of the big agenda items for this government but how can it be helped by industrial strategy? Use the Spending Review and R&D Place Strategy to increase support for business innovation in lagging regions By James Blagden (Onward) In recent decades the UK’s regions have diverged so much that we...