Reports
Where’s the demos in democracy?
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies demonstrates that democracy delivers development better than other regimes. Democracy is in crisis. Anti-democratic politicians and anti-rights movements are becoming more popular. Simultaneously, growing inequality around the world – a product of neoliberal capitalist societies – has left millions of people feeling left behind...
Swiss role model? What the UK can learn from how Switzerland rebuilt public trust in its asylum system
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at the Swiss asylum reforms and key takeaways for the UK. The UK is suffering a downward spiral, with collapsing public confidence in the government’s ability to deliver an effective asylum system. This report investigates reforms to the Swiss asylum system designed to address...
Harm, hardship, and the price of inaction
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines the costs of Scotland’s drug crisis. Scotland has a drug problem. The issue is likely to be a key one in the upcoming Scottish elections. Questions of the costs of potential interventions, and how worthwhile they are, will be central to decisions made on...
Vital institutions 01: Reform and renewal of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum calls for the reform of the EHRC to strengthen equality and human rights protection for people living in the UK. Our recommendations for how the Commission can restore its credibility include: being politically neutral, leading public debates in sensitive areas and making greater use of...
Essays about the future: Scotland
This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK considers what kind of a country we want Scotland to be two decades from now. Moments of democratic choice provide an important opportunity to pause, look beyond immediate pressures, and reflect on the kind of future we want to build. Ahead of this year’s election, Carnegie UK...
Preparing for populism
This report from UK think tank HEPI encourages universities to engage across the political spectrum, including with parties sceptical of higher education. Prepare for populism: Universities need to rebuild their legitimacy with all major parties and the public as they head into a tougher political era. In Preparing for Populism (HEPI Debate Paper 44), Professor...
Student loan reform: weighing the trade-offs
This report from UK think tank IPPR outlines the pros and cons of various policy options for student loan reform. Millions of graduates are paying more for longer as frozen thresholds and high interest rates bite, leaving ministers with tough choices on how to deliver meaningful, targeted relief. This report outlines the pros and cons...
Not my priority; how the public sees social care (and what can be done about it)
This report from UK think tank The King's Fund explores why public opinion and attitudes towards social care are a key barrier to change. Without adult social care support, a full life would be impossible for many people. It helps people carry out basic tasks such as washing, dressing and eating but also, for some...
Assessing potential manifesto commitments on higher education funding in Wales
This report from UK think tank HEPI publishes modelling on proposed higher education funding reforms in the run up to the Senedd elections. The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and London Economics have published modelling on proposed reforms for higher education funding in Wales in the run up to the Senedd elections on 7 May...
The digital-democractic doom loop: Social media and the breaking of the state-citizen relationship
This report from UK think tank Demos argues that the doom loop is exacerbated by the concentration of wealth, ownership and power in the private sector. In this paper author and journalist Phil Tinline argues that modern democracies are caught in a “digital-democratic doom loop” in which declining trust in the state, economic stagnation, and...
Far from settled: The government’s ‘earned settlement’ consultation
This report from UK think tank IPPR examines the government's 'earned settlement' consultation. How long should people have to wait until they can permanently settle in the UK? This is the core question underpinning the Home Office’s ‘earned settlement’ policy, currently out for consultation. While the measures have received surprisingly little attention compared to some...
How the centre of government can design better growth policy
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government Labour sets out how the government can be better equipped to take tough choices on growth. The government needs to sharpen up its strategy for raising the rate of growth, led by a stronger more economically capable No.10. This report, in partnership with Imperial College...
The new right: Anatomy of a global political revolution
This report from UK think tank the ECFR looks at new right’s policy agenda and its communication and mobilisation strategy. Based on interviews with thinkers, political leaders and strategists in a dozen countries, including the UK, the report unpacks the new right’s policy agenda and its communication and mobilisation strategy. Leonard argues that while there are differences between new...
EU-UK relations: Will 2026 be the year to reset the reset?
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform discusses whether 2026 will be the year to reset EU-UK relations. The world of 2026 is very different from the world of 2016, when the UK voted for Brexit. Neither the UK nor the EU seems to appreciate the scale of the changes, however....
Capital at risk: rebooting London’s governance for a new era
This report from UK think tank Re:State explores rebooting London's governance for a new era. London’s governance settlement is now more than 25 years old, designed for the capital as it was a quarter-century ago. While devolution has accelerated across England, London's governance has fossilised. City Hall is underpowered compared to its international peers and...
Related Events
14 April 2026
Location: Online
Think tank: UK in a Changing Europe
UKICE lunch hour: politics and the UK economy
This event hosted by UK think tank UKICE considers how the UK’s economic woes will impact its politics. The UK economy is under significant pressure. Following a period characterised by slow growth, high inflation and rising borrowing costs, it now faces not only the grave economic consequences of the conflict unfolding in the Middle East...
23 April 2026
Location: Online
Think tank: Institute for Fiscal Studies
Welsh Elections 2026: What are the parties’ plans on tax, spending and the economy?
This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies discusses the Welsh party manifestos and spending plans. The next Welsh Government will face a challenging fiscal environment. Decisions made in Westminster on taxation and public spending have direct consequences for the Welsh budget, while devolved policy choices on areas such as health,...
27 April 2026
Location: Online
Think tank: Institute for Fiscal Studies
Scottish Elections 2026: What are the parties’ plans on tax, spending and the economy?
This event hosted by UK think tanks the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Centre for Public Policy discusses the Scottish party manifestos and spending plans. Join the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow and the Institute for Fiscal Studies for a timely discussion on what the political parties are proposing on...
30 April 2026
Location: University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY
Think tank: Institute for Policy Research
Liam Byrne: Why populists are winning: and how to beat them
At this event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Policy Research Liam Byrne sets out what is driving the rise of populism and what can be done about it. About the event Authoritarian populists now govern one-quarter of the world's democracies. But is this peak populism, or the populists' tipping point? Liam Byrne...
5 May 2026
Location: University of Bath campus (Room 3.5, The Chancellors' Building), Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY
Think tank: Institute for Policy Research
Glen O’Hara: How the Blair governments reshaped the country
This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Policy Research discusses what we can learn from New Labour's time in power. Between 1997 and 2007, New Labour sought to reshape Britain into a more cohesive and forward-thinking society. The decade saw the rise of socially liberal attitudes and flourishing public services under a...
19 May 2026
Location: School of Management building (10 East), Room 0.18, University of Bath BA2 7AY
Think tank: Institute for Policy Research
Danny Sriskandarajah: Can this be the century of the citizen?
This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Policy Research discusses citizen power and shares ideas for how people can reclaim power. Danny Sriskandarajah discusses citizen power in action and shares ideas for how people can reclaim power and change the world. Civic space is under attack in many parts of the world,...