Policy area: Politics

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Apathy and opposition: Understanding the real threats to net zero

This report from UK think tank IPPR examines the threats to climate action. Climate action is under siege from populist and far-right actors. Delivering under that pressure demands fresh confidence and commitment from government. Watering down ambition offers no electoral advantage; a strong, progressive agenda on climate action remains broadly popular with the public. Elite...

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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...

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Adapt or die: Why progressives need to deal with extreme weather

This report from UK think tank IPPR makes the case for why progressives need to deal with extreme weather. The impacts of extreme weather are already directly affecting people and communities across the UK. We lack ways to deal with this. Without a serious rethink, we will lose any reputation for competence and leave an...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Related Events

9 May 2026

Location: Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU

Think tank: Adam Smith Institute

The Second Global Enlightenment Forum

This event hosted by UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute aims to explore the heritage and impact of Enlightenment in the non-Western world. 2026 marks 250 years since 1776, an inflection point in the intellectual history of classical liberalism and Enlightenment thought. The Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, and Adam Smith published...

11 May 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: The Foreign Policy Centre

Media under pressure: How to counteract democratic backsliding across Europe

Media under pressure: How to counteract democratic backsliding across Europe This event hosted by UK think tank the Foreign Policy Centre discusses counteracting democratic backsliding across Europe. As part of World Press Freedom Day 2026, the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), the Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) at the University of Sheffield, and the Centre for Journalism...

12 May 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: UK in a Changing Europe

UKICE Lunch Hour: Unpacking the local elections 2026

This event hosted by UK think tank the UK in a Changing Europe unpacks the local election results. On Thursday 7 May, the UK will hold a number of local, mayoral and devolved parliament elections. With Labour and the Conservatives expected to suffer heavy losses to the Greens, Reform UK and nationalist parties in Scotland...

12 May 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: PolicyWISE

A discussion about the results of the devolved elections in Scotland and Wales

This event hosted by UK think tank PolicyWISE discusses the results of the devolved elections in Scotland and Wales. The think tanks Enlighten and PolicyWise are delighted to invite you to join a discussion about the results of the devolved elections in Scotland and Wales. Both nations face the prospect of disruptive outcomes and uncertainty...

14 May 2026

Location: Online / Resolution Foundation, 2 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AA

Think tank: Resolution Foundation

Second half comeback?

This event hosted by UK think tank the Resolution Foundation discusses resetting government economic priorities for the remainder of the Parliament. The Labour Government has had a bruising start to the Parliament. It is trailing badly in the polls and is expecting a battering in the local, Welsh and Scottish elections in early May. Another...

14 May 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: Green Alliance

What’s next? Navigating environmental politics after the May elections

This event hosted by UK think tank Green Alliance discusses how the new political landscape will impact environmental politics globally and at home. A week on from the May elections and with the King’s Speech delivered, join us to digest how this new political landscape will impact environmental politics globally and at home. This reactive...