This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation examines how the UK’s public financial institutions can unlock billions for investment. This briefing note examines the UK’s public financial institutions – affectionately nicknamed the ‘PuFins’ – and asks whether they could help the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, square his commitment to the existing fiscal...

This report from UK think tank Institute for Policy Research sets out an implementation pathway for inclusive governance. Urban green spaces in UK cities are vital to health and wellbeing and provide multiple benefits across many areas of city life. However, access remains unequal, especially for marginalised communities including people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, the...

This report from UK think tank Re:State argues for an approach to sovereignty that imposes security and privacy requirements on systems based on the sensitivity of the systems. There are two growing challenges in British technology policy: 1) intricate global supply chains underpin the creation of devices that run the modern economy, and 2) geopolitical...

This report from UK think tank Power to Change sets out a detailed roadmap for a new era of community ownership.  Community ownership is a proven, scalable driver of local economic renewal and resilient, connected communities. While political support has never been higher, demand for investment far outstrips supply, with the recent Community Right to...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Policy Research explores why two Colombian transit systems diverged, and what it means for UK infrastructure. No long-term private-public contract can anticipate every future disruption when it is first agreed, yet many agreements are drafted so rigidly that when crises emerge, public authorities have no way...

This report from UK think tanks Onward and the Centre for Policy Studies brings renewed focus to London’s housing crisis and the consequences of failing to address it. London is failing to build the homes it needs. In 2024/25, construction started on just 4,170 homes in the capital, even as the population grew by close...

This report from Nesta explores how British people view heat pumps. There are low-carbon solutions already working in homes in this country, and heat pumps can play a major role. They are efficient and reliable – and proven. But compared to other countries in Europe, heat pumps are not very well known or understood in...

This report from UK think tank RUSI reveals how China's rare earth supply chain dominance and export controls are reshaping global defence and security industries. This paper reveals how China's rare earth supply chain dominance and export controls are reshaping global defence and security industries, directly affecting the UK and its Allies. China's strategic use...

This report from UK think tank Localis explores establishing strong organisations and practices for successful devolution. England is currently undergoing a dual transformation: that of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and the expansion of devolution across metropolitan and, increasingly, rural areas. This period of transition will be marked by significant structural changes impacting the organisational culture,...

This report from UK think tank Power to Change argues that the civic high street is the right organising principle for the shift toward mixed-use, community-centred high streets.  The 'new high street playbook' shares lessons from the Community-Led High Street Innovators programme, and why they matter now. Connecting real world practice to the current policy window, this report reflects a...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society examines the built economy skills crisis. The construction and built environment sector – which brings together the design, construction, management and maintenance of homes, buildings and infrastructure – is crucial to the UK economy. It provides millions of jobs, and plays a critical role as an...

This report from UK think tank Nesta explores the reasons behind the challenges faced by shared infrastructure projects across the UK. Nesta has been researching the ways to roll out area-based approaches to clean heat at scale One aspect of our clean heat neighbourhood approach is shared infrastructure technologies, such as networked heat pumps, shared...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies warns that surveillance is violating citizens' freedoms and their human right to privacy. This report provides the most comprehensive account to date of smart city surveillance in Africa. Expert researchers draw on their contextual experience of their own countries in detailed reports on Algeria,...

This report from UK think tank Demos examines the hidden infrastructure of UK democracy: MPs’ offices. Democracy on Default Settings, by Hannah O’Rourke from Campaign Lab and Edward Saperia from Newspeak House, examines the hidden infrastructure of UK democracy: MPs’ offices. Drawing on interviews, surveys and fieldwork with parliamentary staff, the report exposes how outdated...

This report from UK think tank IPPR argues for a shift to a system that asks how we can build more of what already works. The ability to deliver transformative public transport is not constrained by a lack of ideas, public support or local ambition. It is constrained by the way decisions are taken at...

'Levelling up' has become one of the big agenda items for this government but how can it be helped by industrial strategy? Use the Spending Review and R&D Place Strategy to increase support for business innovation in lagging regions By James Blagden (Onward) In recent decades the UK’s regions have diverged so much that we...