This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute considers potential next steps for the UK’s sanctions strategy. This paper considers potential next steps for the UK’s sanctions strategy, drawing on the academic literature and the growing evidence base to suggest what an “Economic Sanctions Strategy 2.0” might look like. In doing so, it...

This report from UK think tank RUSI draws on underexploited source material to offer an overview of North Korea’s procurement networks over the past five years. This paper analyses North Korea’s procurement networks, particularly in view of North Korea’s programmatic successes and recent geopolitical shifts in Russia’s relationship with North Korea as a result of...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government says that Labour's missions need a reformed spending review process. The approach taken in recent spending reviews is not up to the job of achieving Labour’s missions. This report shows how the existing process fails to align government spending with strategic priorities and long-term value...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs provides a list and numerical count of regulatory measures across the six largest parties by vote share. The general election campaign has focused on tax and spending promises, with much less attention paid to proposed regulatory measures. Regulations often have well-intentioned goals, including protecting...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government reveals the impact of the UK’s historically low – and badly spent – capital budgets. Crumbling buildings, creaking IT and a lack of equipment will continue to seriously hamper public service performance unless the next government takes a new approach to capital spending. This report,...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs emphasises the importance of a broadly defined money aggregate in the determination of nominal national income and wealth. The overwhelming majority of economists were wrong in their forecasts about the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. They believed that it would result in years of...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation proposes a vision for a simpler, fairer and more sustainable pensions landscape. The pensions landscape is complex and unsustainable in its current form. This Social Market Foundation report proposes a vision for a simpler, fairer and more sustainable pensions landscape, incorporating the three pillars of...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs examines the economic and social consequences of anti-money laundering regulation. Debanking became a news story in 2023 when Nigel Farage alleged that Coutts had closed his account because its executives disapproved of his political opinions. A study by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed...

This report from UK think tank Power to Change looks at how community businesses can access the right finance to achieve their ambitions. This report draws on what Power to Change has learned from funding, supporting and advocating for community business since 2015 about the challenges community businesses face in accessing the right types of...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government recommends that the next government must hold an urgent spending review before a budget 'cliff edge'. With the UK facing levels of government spending uncertainty not seen in decades, this report warns that whoever wins the general election should launch a one-year spending round within...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation presents evidence on public attitudes to the pension ‘pot-for-life’ proposal. The Social Market Foundation recently published proposals for ‘member choice’ over pensions, whereby individuals can direct their contributions to a scheme of their choice. Meanwhile, the government is consulting on related proposals for a ‘lifetime...

This report from UK think tank The Work Foundation investigates the contemporary use of zero-hour contracts in the UK. Analysis by the work foundation has found that a record 1.1 million working age people primarily work under zero-hour contracts, the poster child for insecure work. Our new briefing investigates the contemporary use of zero-hour contracts...

This report from UK think tank The Foreign Policy Centre highlights concerns about the role of UK PR agencies when representing clients from kleptocratic jurisdictions. The PR industry presents a conundrum in the fight against money laundering and kleptocracy. This report by Thomas Mayne, published with the support of the Foreign Policy Centre, highlights several...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies argues that not enough has been done to address the competitive disadvantage brought about by stamp duty on shares. There has been a renewed focus on the competitiveness of the City of London in recent months. Both the Government and Labour have unveiled reforms...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government provides a guide to reform the fiscal framework to enable the government to make better choices. The UK’s fiscal framework, including a flawed set of rules, is incentivising bad policy decisions shaped by short-termism and fictional spending plans – and does little to promote fiscal...