Reports
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...
Understanding and improving sanctions today
This report from UK think tank Chatham House explores why and how many sanctions fail, and what to do about it. Sanctions are a key instrument of foreign policy and economic statecraft, applied with increasing frequency by the US, the UK and the EU. Given the growing prevalence of these tools, there are mounting concerns...
Change the prescription: update
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice builds on their landmark report, to offer a new plan to all political parties. Few issues are as explosive in British politics as welfare reform. But just as the smell of cordite following the blazing row over winter fuel payments is wafting away, an...
How strategic authorities can develop effective local economic plans: Making devolution work
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government explores how local economic strategies can be powerful drivers of prosperity and growth. As the government continues progress on the ‘devolution revolution’, it is more important than ever for strategic authorities to use their devolved powers in a coherent and strategic way. This report sets...
Universities are boxed in: Is there a way out?
This report from UK think tank HEPI proposes different solutions suitable for the full range of higher education providers. UK higher education institutions are increasingly boxed in on six sides: by increasing regulation by rising costs by falling income for each domestic student; by uncertain future demand from international students; by an increasing availability of...
The defence pound in national and local prosperity
This report from UK think tank RUSI explores how UK defence spending contributes not only to national security but also to economic prosperity. This paper explores how UK defence spending contributes not only to national security but also to economic prosperity, especially under the current Labour government, which has emphasised the defence sector as a...
Fair play: how competition policy can drive growth
This report from UK think tank IPPR sets out the case for an unwavering and robust competition policy, enforced by a more responsive regulator. The UK’s competition framework — and its regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority — has struggled to prevent rising market concentration and stagnant productivity. At the same time, the UK economy...
Flexing the future
This report from UK think tank Centre for Social Justice analyses the use of Deferred Payment Credit (DPC) – more commonly known as Buy Now Pay Later. Over the last few years, the consumer credit market has been evolving. Old forms of credit have departed from the market in the aftermath of regulatory intervention, while...
Currencies under pressure
This report from UK think tank IIED examines how currency fluctuations and climate risks impact debt sustainability in SIDS and LDCs. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) are facing growing debt burdens, as volatile exchange rates, amplified by climate shocks, inflate the cost of servicing external debt. The reliance by SIDS...
Opinion on climate change policy during the 2024 general election
This report from UK think tank Green Alliance examines public opinion on climate change policy during the 2024 general election. In the lead up to the 2024 general election, concerns emerged about whether public support for climate and nature policy was weakening. With political narratives increasingly focused on the costs of net zero and the...
The nature of our economy
This report from UK think tank Green Alliance provides actionable proposals across three areas: the macroeconomy, microeconomy and political reform. The Dasgupta Review, commissioned by the UK Treasury and published in 2021, exposed the fundamental flaw in mainstream economics: that it fails to account for the true value of nature. As a result, we continue...
Financing the future: discussion paper
This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK summarises the UK's tax, spend and fiscal policy issues against the backdrop of our collective wellbeing. This paper sets out a summary of relevant tax, spend and fiscal policy issues in the UK today against the backdrop of our current collective wellbeing. The paper seeks opinion on...
Strengthening the financial frontline on Russian trade sanctions
This report from UK think tank RUSI seeks to understand how financial institutions' compliance systems have adapted in response to post-2022 trade restrictions on Russia. Leveraging the G7 financial system remains an important tool for preventing sanctions circumvention, but it is important for policymakers to understand – and address – the technical and practical implementation...