Reports
A nation of small investors: Increasing the proportion of British households actively investing
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...
Locally implemented or locally led? Tracking finance for community climate action
This report from UK think tank the International Institute for Environment and Development looks at tracking finance for community climate action. Local communities are directly affected by the impacts of climate change and are essential to developing and implementing effective responses. As a result, it has never been more important to understand, track and measure...
Black holes and consolidations
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation previews the key decisions for the upcoming Budget. The upcoming Budget – which the Chancellor has already signalled will come with spending cuts and tax rises – is a pivotal moment for a Government looking to improve the mood music around its economic-policy agenda. This is...
Ride the wave
This report from UK think tank Localis centres on how local authorities can navigate investment risks and opportunities within a changing policy landscape. In her 29 January speech outlining the Government’s ‘Plan for Growth’, chancellor Rachel Reeves argued our cities will require focus on the two key areas of infrastructure and investment if they are...
Digital public infrastructure and tax: High stakes, high rewards
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies argues that tax matters for DPI reforms. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) – a set of interoperable digital systems and platforms that support service delivery, data exchange, and the functions of public and private sectors at scale – is expected to revolutionise public services and...
A reform agenda for the single market
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform examines a reform agenda for the single market. For the last two decades, European economic growth has been lower than in peer countries. More than a year has passed since the landmark Draghi Report that helped establish a consensus that reform is needed. Yet...
Growth from below: Poverty reduction beyond social protection in Nigeria
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies discusses poverty reduction beyond social protection in Nigeria. Agriculture and informal economies provide essential livelihoods in Nigeria, but they face challenges such as climate shocks, conflict, low investment, and financial exclusion. Resilience strategies include diversification, microfinance access and entrepreneurial ventures, but policy support is...
Expert roundtables: Insight summary
This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK summarises insights gained from expert roundtable discussions held in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle and Belfast. In 2025 we hosted four roundtable discussions in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle and Belfast. These sessions brought together experts in academia, business, economics, government, public policy and the third sector to grapple with some...
Public perceptions of the UK tax system
This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK examines pubic perceptions of the UK tax system. This work seeks to address growing concerns about public disengagement with taxation policy and to better understand how people view the current UK taxation system, and its perceived complexities and discrepancies. The research focused on two key questions: What...
Budgeting for Wellbeing: International approaches
This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK looks at how fiscal policy can be reimagined to prioritise and deliver improved wellbeing for people. Governments and societies across the globe are increasingly recognising the importance of improving the wellbeing of their citizens and making this the central goal of their economic and policy ambitions. At...
Call of duties
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation recommends a strategic approach to reforming the UK’s often-distortionary £1 trillion tax system. The upcoming Budget is likely to come with a significant downgrade to the fiscal outlook, with pressures from recent policy reversals, rising debt-interest costs, and a gloomier economic outlook. It is plausible that...
Alternative financial systems and the reshaping of global finance
This report from UK think tank RUSI examines why more states and other actors are turning to alternative financial systems. A desire for autonomy, necessity, and opportunity are reshaping global financial systems and reducing longstanding Western influence and control – it’s not too late to act. The central conclusion is that the longstanding dominance of...
Following the fraud: The role of money mules
This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at push payment fraud and the role of money mules within it. This paper discusses the rising issue of fraud in the UK, particularly focusing on the role of money mules in facilitating authorised push payment fraud and the implications for national security and financial crime prevention.
Set for life
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at policies to boost the retirement savings of the self-employed. The low share of self-employed workers saving into private pensions and problematic saving behaviours amongst many who are, is leading to concerns that large numbers of self-employed workers are on track for inadequate retirement...
A new playbook: Making sanctions more effective
This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society examines how to make sanctions more effective. Economic sanctions have become a cornerstone of modern international diplomacy, increasingly employed by governments around the world to advance a wide range of foreign policy objectives – from deterring armed conflict to disrupting illicit financial flows and combatting...