How do we know if it works?
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation evaluates higher education regulation. Higher education has often been lauded as English education’s ‘jewel in the crown’ – but there are no shortage of criticisms about the sector. This briefing investigates the standard of the evaluations of higher education regulation and policy, and outlines recommendations...
Connected devolution
This report from UK think tank Localis examines the current policy context for technological integration and LGR. The wave of local government reorganisation (LGR) heralded by the English Devolution Bill represents the most significant structural upheaval outside of central government since the 1970s. The creation of new unitary authorities is designed to increase productivity and...
Stairway to headroom
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation puts the Autumn Budget 2025 decisions on tax, spending and borrowing into context. The Chancellor’s second tax-rising budget arrived under dark clouds, but forecasts came in better than feared. But even though she was saved from the worst predictions of past weeks, the Chancellor still faced...
Procure and simple: a proportionate approach to public procurement
This report from UK think tank Re:State reveals a procurement system which has become too focused on compliance with complex rules and bureaucracy. The Government spends £400 billion a year procuring goods and services, but regularly fails to secure value for the taxpayer from that spending. Public procurement is rife with projects which are late,...
Performance Tracker 2025: Schools
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the challenges facing the government in meeting its education priorities within budget. Research conducted since, including by the Institute for Government, shows that educational inequalities across English schools opened up at an alarming rate over this period, with some gaps growing to their...
In Power 01: Transforming Downing Street
This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum recommends the creation of a new Department for the Prime Minister to drive his agenda. In Power 01: Transforming Downing Street is the culmination of an in-depth investigation by FGF into the centre of government. It recommends that Keir Starmer accelerate his revamp of the...
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...
Measuring what matters
This report from think tank Labour Together looks at what issues are most important to the public. Knowing what issues are most important to the public is the bedrock of understanding voters. Ironically, its own importance can’t go understated. This report applies some overdue methodological experimentation to the question of what matters most to voters.
How productive are the UK’s big cities?
This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities discusses how the UK's large cities have performed over the last 20 years. This briefing dives into the latest subregional productivity data to understand the trends over the past 20 years and what it can tell us about local and national economic performance. It shows that...
UK national security advantage from disruptive technologies
This report from UK think tank RUSI explores how the UK can leverage its STI policy to secure strategic advantage in national security. The UK's world-leading tech assets and ambitious agenda aren't translating into national advantage because the country is trying to lead in too many areas without the economic scale of competitors like the...