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Mature decisions
This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at the role of social security in alleviating pensioner poverty. Over the past decade, pensioner poverty has been rising. By the government’s standard income-based poverty measure, the poverty rate increased from 14 per cent in 2010-11 to 16 per cent in 2022-23, which means there...

An agenda for UK–China climate cooperation
This report from UK think tank Chatham House argues that climate cooperation can and should be pursued between the UK and Chinese governments. This paper presents the case for increased UK–China climate cooperation, and identifies specific aspects of policy on which future joint work can usefully focus. Such work could offer a valuable counterpoint to...

The shape of a social tariff
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation lays out some options for unified social tariff design. As households struggle to afford their water bills, social tariffs have a crucial role to play in ensuring that water is affordable for everyone who needs it. While social tariffs are in place already, their design...


How German industry can survive the second China shock
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform urges the next German government to rethink its trade and industrial policies. As it heads to the polls, Germany is gripped with fear of deindustrialisation. A new study by the Centre for European Reform (CER), ‘How German industry can survive the second China shock’...


Did Wagner succeed in the eyes of its African and Middle Eastern clients?
This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at the Wagner Group from the perspective of its African and Middle Eastern clients. This Whitehall Report looks at the Wagner Group from the perspective of its African and Middle Eastern clients, focusing on four case studies: Mali, the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Syria. Why did...


A level of uncertainty
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation puts forward a set of recommendations that prioritise the best interests of apprentices and taxpayers. Through the new ‘Growth and Skills Levy’, the government has signalled its desire to rebalance funding towards young people and entry-level training opportunities. While critics are keen to present the...


Ageing in the fast and slow lane
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...


Whitehall Monitor 2025
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government is their annual, data-based assessment of the UK civil service over the past year. High staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay are hindering the civil service’s ability to deliver Labour’s missions. Whitehall Monitor 2025, the IfG’s annual data-driven stocktake of the...


Byte-sized budgeting
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,...


Punching down
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies shows that it will cost businesses £2,367 more to employ a full-time worker on the minimum wage than it did in 2024. This year will be the most expensive on record for businesses who employ workers on the minimum wage, according to new analysis....


Modernising elections: How to get voters back
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...


Lonely Nation – Part 5
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,...


Marriage and the stable society
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...


How the government can design better asylum policy
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...


How should regulators balance competition, economic growth and other political priorities?
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation explores whether there is a trade-off and, if so, how the tensions can be resolved. Some business leaders fear competition policy and regulation are jeopardising the government’s economic growth mission. Former CMA Strategy Director and Downing Street Special Adviser Stuart Hudson explores whether there is...


Lonely nation – Part 4
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...


Questionable counting: Analysing the death toll from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza
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...


Navigating clean energy industries and rivalry in decarbonisation
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...


How can UK universities improve their strategies for tackling integration challenges among Chinese students?
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...


Devolution and urban regeneration: How can metro mayors transform England’s towns and cities?
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...


A hard day’s night
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...


Department stories
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...


Back from the brink
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...


The Joint Expeditionary Force and its contribution to European security
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....


The childcare challenge: How can the new government deliver a real childcare guarantee?
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...