Reports

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation examines geographic gaps in ageing across the country. All developed countries are ageing, and the UK is no different. The combination of rising life expectancy, a large cohort of baby boomers moving into retirement and falling birth rates means the country’s median age rose from 33.9...

This report from UK think tank Reform sets out a new model for funding digital services in government. The Government has vowed to make the State “more like a start up”, investing in teams which will use a “test and learn” culture to improve public services. And with an ambitious set of Missions to deliver,...

This report from UK think tank IPPR puts forward policy approaches to improve turnout and reduce inequality at UK general elections. Elections are the defining feature of modern democracy. They are the process by which we express a desired future en masse. It is the mass dimension that matters most; it is the mass dimension...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice looks at tackling the human and economic costs of Britain's loneliness epidemic. Britain is a lonely nation. The government’s own statistics show that 2023/24 was the loneliest year on record. Polling for the CSJ reveals that nearly six in ten adults feel lonely most,...

This report from UK think tank Civitas looks at the continued importance of marriage. Marriage has undergone a remarkable decline in the UK. The marriage rate has fallen two thirds in 50 years; and in 2021, for the first time, more than half of babies were born to unmarried parents. We also see a growing...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government puts forward recommendations to help the government set a clear direction and a coherent asylum strategy. The government must exert its authority over the whole asylum system and avoid short-sighted measures aimed at conjuring an illusion of control. This report puts forward recommendations to help...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice considers how the government can fulfil its ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels. Lonely Nation Part 4 considers how the government can fulfil its ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels. To achieve this, it argues that the government...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society looks at the numbers used in reporting on the Gaza conflict. On 7 October 2023, Hamas militants launched a war on Israel. After Israel launched its military response, media outlets around the world began to report on death tolls in Gaza, frequently citing numbers from...

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at navigating clean energy industries and rivalry in decarbonisation. In this research paper, Dan Marks and James Henderson address a series of questions, including how to ensure the security of production networks while simultaneously decarbonising rapidly and affordably, promoting innovation and maximising local economic benefits. They argue...

This report from UK think tank HEPI is an overview of key integration challenges facing Chinese students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). This paper is an overview of key integration challenges facing Chinese students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). It responds to recent admissions diversification strategies launched by UK institutions as well as...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government outlines what powers are available to metro mayors to drive regeneration. The regeneration of disused, deprived and deindustrialised urban areas across England will be crucial to the government’s ability to achieve its economic growth targets. It will also bring other benefits, like reducing regional inequality...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation provides the context for the Government’s ambitions to raise employment and drive up job quality. This report – part of our ‘Unsung Britan’ programme of work – provides the context for the Government’s ambitions to raise employment and drive up job quality. It describes the labour...

This report from UK think tank Power to Change looks at how communities are reimagining a national institution. Once a destination for generations of shoppers, department stores are on the decline. There’s been an 85% decrease in the number of department stores on Britain’s high streets over the past decade, with many well-known brands leaving...

This report from UK think tank Reform argues that only a whole-system approach can deliver a sustainable path forward. Local authorities are not just administrators of public services. They are crucial agents of social and economic stability within their communities. However, their ability to fulfil this role has been severely compromised. Local government in England...

This report from UK think tank RUSI this paper provides recommendations for the UK to strengthen the Joint Expeditionary Force. As the new UK government undertakes its Strategic Defence Review, this paper provides recommendations for the UK to strengthen the Joint Expeditionary Force to increase its value to NATO and best contribute to European security....

This report from UK think tank IPPR seeks to reimagine childcare as a proper public service, capable of driving progress on the opportunity mission goals. Can we reimagine childcare as a proper public service? The newly elected Labour government has picked up where the previous government left off, by committing to continuing the plans to...

This report from UK think tank Pro Bono Economics highlights the potential of targeted, evidence-based interventions to address maternal mental health effectively. Maternal mental health: Evidence for policy action. The early years of a child’s life are critical but challenging for mothers, with up to 1 in 5 new and expectant mothers experiencing depression. Many...

This report from UK think tank HEPI examines how higher education policy has diverged across the four nations of the United Kingdom—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The report 'Evolution of Devolution' examines how higher education policy has diverged across the four nations of the United Kingdom—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—since the devolution of...

This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation aims to provide policy direction for how Government and employers can work together to help retain more people. The new Government has set an ambitious target to raise the employment rate to 80% – which would represent an increase of approximately 2.4 million more people in...

This report from UK think tank the Education Policy Institute looks at the estimates, trends and characteristics of children missing from education. A new report by the Education Policy Institute finds that up to 300,000 children may be missing from education entirely.

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation asks how should Britain buy and sell in a turbulent world? Recently the UK has faced tough times in trade, juggling twin shocks of Brexit and Covid. While service exports have stayed strong, goods trade has struggled. With a possible further disruption to goods trade around...

This report from UK think tank Localis examines the critical challenges facing local authorities in the South East and advocates for targeted strategies that align with the region’s unique needs. The South East of England, often perceived as a beacon of affluence and economic success, presents a paradoxical challenge to policymakers. Beneath its reputation as...

This report from UK think tank Reform proposes a new model for the Fast Stream, founded on more rigorous entrance exams and a new 'Executive Leadership Scheme'. The Fast Stream was set up to recruit the brightest and best for public service. And as government grapples with era-defining challenges, including how to build a resilient...

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform argues that the EU should lead industrial decarbonisation by pairing CBAM with actions to support clean industrial investments in least developed and developing countries. With its new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU will impose the same carbon price on both domestic and...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities investigates whether the current planning system has seen private housebuilding reach rates high enough to meet the new national target. Using newly available data on English housebuilding by local authority since 1946, digitised by Centre for Cities, this report investigates whether the current planning system has...