This report from UK think tank IIED outlines a number of action points to improve the effectiveness of debt swaps. In recent years, mounting external public debt has placed significant constraints on low-income country government budgets, particularly for those countries on the frontlines of combatting climate change and biodiversity loss. Debt for climate and nature...

This report from UK think tank Civitas suggests that wage stagnation may be an important driver of rising net recipience in the medium term. According to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics, more than half of households in the United Kingdom (52.6 per cent) receive more from the state in benefits (including...

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute presents an analysis of President Trump’s potential impact on digital assets in the UK. The report by the Adam Smith Institute characterises the inauguration of a pro-digital asset administration in the United States as a "Sputnik moment" for the United Kingdom's financial sector. For several...

This report from UK think tank Re:State sets out a new model for funding digital services in government. The Government has vowed to make the State “more like a start up”, investing in teams which will use a “test and learn” culture to improve public services. And with an ambitious set of Missions to deliver,...

This report from UK think tank Re:State argues that only a whole-system approach can deliver a sustainable path forward. Local authorities are not just administrators of public services. They are crucial agents of social and economic stability within their communities. However, their ability to fulfil this role has been severely compromised. Local government in England...

This report from UK think tank Power to Change explores community cohesion, empowerment and growth in response to the riots across the UK this summer. Torn social fabric lay behind disorder this summer. The government’s communities policy must move from responding to crisis to consistency. We know community cohesion is back on the agenda for...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how government can set up public bodies better. As government priorities change, particularly after a general election, there is often a need to set up new institutions to deliver on those priorities. Public bodies can be well placed to do this. If set...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House explores the challenges of increasing climate finance to emerging markets and developing countries. With climate impacts getting worse and temperature records being broken, the pressure on countries to raise more money in support of climate action continues to increase. But the ‘climate finance gap’ – the difference...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government examines the impact of Labour's first budget on public services. The outgoing Conservative government left public services in a precarious state. Waiting lists in the NHS are stubbornly high, councils are on the verge of bankruptcy, backlogs in the criminal courts are at record levels...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform presents an analysis of EU defence bonds, their benefits and feasibility. European security is under threat and Europeans are trying to strengthen their defences. However, addressing long-standing gaps in military capabilities will require time, a sustained fiscal effort, and enhanced co-ordination. Constraints on national...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies discusses the age of the super-state. New analysis from the Centre for Policy Studies shows that, as a result of changes announced in this week’s Budget, state spending is set to increase to an astonishing £1.5 trillion by 2029/30. The briefing paper argues that...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation puts the autumn budget 2024 decisions on tax, spending and borrowing into context. This has been the most anticipated Budget of modern times. It had to wrestle with profound – and sometimes conflicting – challenges: fixing the strained public services; repairing failing public services; and breaking...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government recommends a range of steps that government can take to make youth work more accessible and sustainable. Youth work is proven to have positive outcomes for young people in the short term – including improved mental health, educational attainment, and reduced crime and antisocial behaviour....

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies highlights the damage that will be done to the economy if the Chancellor uses next week’s Budget to hike capital gains tax (CGT). Despite raising relatively little revenue for the Treasury (1.5% of all revenue), CGT is an incredibly distortive and complex tax, paid...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how the OBR has done this in the past, how its approach has evolved in recent years, and how it could be strengthened further. The government has made economic growth one of its five missions. But this will not be realised quickly: easing...