Reports

Latest Reports

From proximity to inclusion: A new framework for urban green space policy

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...

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Fiscal devolution and place investment: Will it unlock growth everywhere and redistribute prosperity?

This report from UK think tank City-REDI argues that fiscal devolution works when it is designed as 'capability devolution' and fails when it is merely risk transfer. The Chancellor's Growth Plan commits to 'unlocking growth in every part of Britain' and Andy Burnham has highlighted the same direction of travel in his speech on 29th...

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Over ruled

This report from UK think tank Re:State offers a practical blueprint for managing Britain's regulatory institutions as a system for the long term. The UK has more than 100 statutory regulators, yet no single institution is responsible for managing them as a coherent system. Successive governments have created new regulators to address individual failures, but...

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Learning lessons

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society analyses the drivers of the teacher workforce crisis and the impact that it has on pupils and public finances. Teaching is a fantastic vocation, which offers the opportunity to change lives. However, the education system is currently experiencing a retention crisis, with the number of teachers...

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Evidence review on university contextual admissions

This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust considers approaches, prevalence, current debates and evaluations surrounding contextual admissions in the UK. Contextual admissions refers to universities considering a student’s individual circumstances and background to understand their potential for higher education. It acknowledges systemic barriers, such as time in care or attending under-resourced schools, that...

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Care to stay

This report from UK think tank Re:State calls on local authorities to implement a cross-cutting, place-based strategy for the adult social care workforce. Re:State’s new report recommends an immediate, deliverable, and locally-led approach to addressing the adult social care workforce crisis. While the sector’s underfunding is a key driver of its chronic workforce issues, as...

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Accountability gap

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society explores how robust accountability can unlock devolution's promise. England is finally getting a stronger subnational tier of government. Labour is rolling out a new way of governing – one that offers the promise of an economy that works for the whole country by giving places control...

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Sovereignty by design: security, resilence, and growth

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...

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Addressing local economic disparities: Learning from policy failure

This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines why the UK remains one of the most interregionally unequal countries in the industrialised world. This report examines why, after more than four decades of national policy, the UK remains one of the most interregionally unequal countries in the industrialised world. Drawing on the academic discipline of...

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Rethinking migration 01

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum makes the case for a new progressive deal with Europe. The Rethinking Migration 01 report is written by Senior Policy Associate and former Yvette Cooper advisor, Beth Gardiner-Smith and Policy Associate, Emily Graham. The report sets out fresh ideas for fixing our broken asylum system at home,...

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Keys to the future: How we build a new era of community ownership

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...

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Designing contracts for chaos

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...

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Masculinities and violence in the Horn of Africa borderlands

This report from UK think tank RUSI reveals how masculinity norms fuel conflict, violent extremism and gender-based violence in the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia borderlands. This paper reveals how masculinity norms fuel conflict, violent extremism (VE) and gender-based violence (GBV) in the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia borderlands, shaping Al-Shabaab's recruitment and deepening insecurity. It offers actionable recommendations for defence and security...

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Regional roots, global decisions: Andy Burnham’s foreign policy challenge

This report from UK think tank the European Council on Foreign Relations Andy Burnham, Britain’s likely next prime minister, is clear-eyed about his domestic political priorities. But, with the world order in flux, all eyes are on his foreign policy approach.

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Behind the curve: Britain’s defence investment plan in Trump’s world

This report from UK think tank the European Council on Foreign Relations examines Britain's defence investment plan. The new defence investment plan is weighed down by the habits of Britain’s defence establishment. By contrast, the British public appear readier to accept change.

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The EU and Turkiye: Can shared threats overcome mutual suspicion?

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform sets out some steps that the EU and Türkiye can take to reset ties. EU-Türkiye relations are stuck in a mutually detrimental stalemate. Low mutual trust and high transactionalism mean deeper co-operation has effectively stalled for two decades. This comes despite common threats and...

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Quick wins

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society sets out ‘quick wins’ to ramp up the number of good quality homes built in the communities that need them. Since July 2024, the government has undertaken substantial, necessary reforms to tackle the housing crisis and get Britain building again. It has rightly set out a...

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Fixing London housing

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...

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A roadmap for rebuilding public trust in politics

This report from Nesta explores whether changing the rules on political party funding can rebuild public trust in our political system. The topic of political party finance has increasingly captured media and public scrutiny in recent years, culminating with the Rycroft Review in December 2025, which examined foreign financial influence and interference in the UK....

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Cost, comfort and confidence: how the British population views heat pumps

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...

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Standard issue

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society explores policies to raise living standards. The US-Israeli war on Iran has prompted yet another shock to the budgets of British households, with potentially dire consequences for living standards. This is the second such shock in five years; but the cost-of-living crisis has been decades in...

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The price of dependency: Unpicking the People’s Republic of China’s influence and coercion across the Commonwealth.

This report from UK think tank the Coalitiion for Global Prosperity explores China's influence and coercion across the Commonwealth. Consecutive UK governments have underinvested in the UK’s relationships with Commonwealth countries, to the benefit of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which has become the largest trading partner and, in many cases, the largest bilateral...

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Building bridges: integrating early education with family support in England and Scotland

This report from Nesta explores integrating early education with family support in England and Scotland. Nesta commissioned Isos Partnership to run an exploratory study of current and ideal levels and types of service integration between ECEC/ELC and wider family support. The report seeks to fill the knowledge gap by drawing on evidence from nine local...

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Take a chance on me

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation explores how employers can be incentivised to employ NEETs. This briefing note considers how public policy can best incentivise employers to hire more young people in the UK today. We estimate the gross cost to the Exchequer of each additional full-time job created by a range...

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Evaluation of career coaching for young people at risk of being NEET

This report from UK think tank City-REDI evaluates career coaching for young people at risk of being NEET. PfPP2 provided career coaching and mentoring, group career readiness sessions and employer engagement for 102 young people identified at risk of becoming NEET(not in education, employment or training) in Year 10 in five East Birmingham secondary schools....

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