This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs examines the economic and environmental consequences of ending domestic oil and gas production. No credible forecast shows UK oil and gas demand falling to zero by 2050, even under net zero scenarios – oil and gas are essential ingredients in plastics, fertilisers, medicines and...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at how cities around the world operate their visitor levies and what England can learn from their experiences. Using examples drawn from a range of countries and cities from major visitor destinations such as Barcelona and Amsterdam to smaller places such as Essen, Germany and...

This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines what makes place based research partnerships work effectively. This evidence review brings together academic and practice based literature to understand what makes place based research partnerships work effectively. It identifies the outcomes these partnerships can deliver, the infrastructure and systems that support success, the skills and expertise...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation paints a portrait of the poorer half of the country's population. The 13 million working-age families across the poorer half of the country are widely courted by politicians. No party can win elections without their votes, and the country cannot succeed without their needs being met....

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute examines the effects of the new union access regime on SMEs. This report examines the economic impact of the Employment Rights Act 2025 on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The core of the report argues that the Act’s new provisions—which allow trade unions to demand...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs examines the costs and benefits of flexible working. The costs of flexible working requirements have rarely been properly assessed and could extend to undermining growth, increasing unemployment and the rise in post-Covid withdrawal from the workforce. Employers and employees, negotiating in the ‘particular circumstances...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government Labour sets out how the government can be better equipped to take tough choices on growth. The government needs to sharpen up its strategy for raising the rate of growth, led by a stronger more economically capable No.10. This report, in partnership with Imperial College...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at the lessons learnt from rules-based planning conducted in Croydon. This briefing analyses data from when the ‘Suburban Design Guide’ (SDG), a successful ‘experiment’ in rules-based planning conducted in Croydon from 2019 to 2022, was in place. It explains the SDG's success in raising housebuilding...

This report from UK think tank Onward calls for a fundamental rationalisation of passported benefits as the UC rollout nears completion. The Hidden Benefits Bill argues that the true cost of the UK’s working-age welfare system is significantly higher than headline Universal Credit (UC) spending figures suggest, because of a large and growing set of...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at improving retirement saving outcomes with a pensions dashboard health check. Widespread disengagement with pensions is contributing to the UK’s retirement savings crisis. With the transition to defined contribution pensions increasing the individual responsibility to save enough for retirement, this report sets out how a ‘pensions dashboard health check’ could improve citizens’ ability to effectively prepare...

This report from UK think tank the Jobs Foundation looks at both the effect of government policy on the energy sector and on jobs and communities. The Jobs Foundation’s first report on the connection between energy and job creation/retention, Jobs and Energy: The effect of high energy costs on the UK jobs market was published...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities focuses on the cities that offer lessons for a government looking to raise living standards everywhere. Cities Outlook, our annual health check of the economic performance of urban Britain, offers a deep dive into the latest economic data on how UK cities are performing against a range...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation assesses the UK’s growth challenge 18 months into the new parliament. This report assesses the UK’s growth challenge 18 months into the new Parliament, examining how economic performance has evolved since the pandemic and evaluating the Government’s progress against its central mission to raise growth and...

This report from UK think tank IPPR analyses clean energy supply chains and makes policy recommendations for how to make them more resilient. The UK must become more resilient to succeed in a more turbulent world. Supply chains – the networks of people and businesses we rely on to make and move the goods we...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs examines the cost of Net Zero. Since 2019, there have been many attempts to put a cost on achieving net zero by 2050, with wildly different results, from the CCC to HMT and NESO. If we are to have a serious debate about net...