This report from UK think tank the Institute for Economic Affairs critiques the generational tobacco ban. The UK government is proposing a generational ban on tobacco sales to anyone born after 2008, overturning the fundamental principle that adults should have autonomy over their own bodies. The generational ban will create absurd situations, such as a...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation explores what motivates landlords and owner occupiers to insulate their homes. Decarbonising home heat, which accounts for 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions, is essential if the UK is to achieve its target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. But current policies are falling...

This report from UK think tank IPPR sets out how ‘improvement through empowerment’ - of both teachers and schools, can drive excellence in education. We need to shift the drivers of better schooling from high stakes top-down accountability to a system which empowers schools and teachers to innovate and improve. Policymakers in recent decades have...

This report from UK think tank IPPR argues that there is an urgency for policymakers to implement a green industrial strategy. With Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPs and Science Act and the EU’s Green Industrial Plan, industrial policy is back in vogue. Yet after years of neglect in favour of hands-off, agnostic policymaking, governments...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at whether alternative proteins can reduce farmed animal suffering. The market for meat alternatives has grown rapidly over the last decade, yet they still only account for 1% of the global meat market. This SMF report, the third and final instalment of a series,...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what has changed in the public appointments process and what still needs to change. In August 2022 the Institute for Government published Reforming Public Appointments, which dissected the public appointments process and offered recommendations for how it could be improved. We looked at...

This report from UK think tank IPPR suggests that governments could outline a positive vision for how AI can help create public value. The eyes of the world will be on this increasingly powerful technology as the UK holds a global AI safety summit in November. However, early signs indicate the discussions will lack ambition....

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at the four key challenges and how to address them. Kathryn Westmore In the report, Kathryn outlines how the legal and accounting industries have faced mounting criticism over their apparent failure to effectively prevent and detect illicit actors’ money laundering activities, particularly in the wake of the full-scale...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice offers landlords suggestions as to how they can exhibit excellence in the provision of residential accommodation. Renting privately can and should be a tenure where people feel they can thrive in a good home. Indeed, there are many good landlords and a lot of...

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute outlines a fair way to build housing where people want to live. Under the proposed ‘Homes for All’ scheme, the government would use Compulsory Purchasing Orders (CPOs), a legal tool which can be used to compulsorily buy land or property to support development that is...

This report from UK think tank Localis looks at the value of pubs to society and to the economy. Across Britain, pubs have long stood as familiar and welcoming landmarks. Their significance goes beyond mere watering holes; they have consistently played a pivotal role in knitting communities together and promoting social cohesion. Inn-valuable looks at...

This report from UK think tank UK in a Changing Europe looks at the potential paths for the Trade and Cooperation Agreement On Christmas Eve 2020 the UK and EU finally agreed a treaty to regulate their relationship post Brexit. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement was provisionally applied from 1 January 2021 and formally ratified...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at public attitudes to alternative proteins and meat reduction. Whereas vegetarianism and veganism were once relatively fringe, interest in reducing meat consumption – whether on animal welfare, health or environmental grounds – is on the rise. This SMF report, the second of three in...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation explores the political constraints on public health policies. This is the second of three SMF papers exploring tobacco, alcohol, obesity and gambling policy. It explores the political opportunities and constraints around action on these issues, based on a review of polling evidence and interviews with...

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute looks at how the Social Value Act damages British procurement. In this paper, our Director of Research Maxwell Marlow analyses the Social Value Act 2012 and its effects on the procurement process in the UK. The Social Value Act, and accompanying Social Value Model, stipulate...