Reports

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation argues that there is no inherent trade off between wellbeing and attainment in schools. Through a literature review and new analysis of OECD data, this briefing paper argues that there is no inherent trade-off between wellbeing and attainment as some have suggested; and sets out...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation looks at tax, utility bill and social security changes in April 2025. April is always a month of tax changes, and this year, two stand out in their impact on the public finances: the rise in employer National Insurance, and the continuing freezing of the Income...

This report from UK think tank CEPEO presents new comparative evidence on the decline in pupils' emotional engagement with school. Research has indicated how, in England, pupils' emotional engagement at school drops rapidly in the first stages of secondary education (Key Stage 3). But to what extent is a similar pattern observed in other countries,...

This report from UK think tank RUSI focuses on the key policy issues that have shaped military-industrial production in Russia, Ukraine and European NATO. During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian defence industry has managed to significantly increase defence production. Ukraine has also done this, although to a lesser extent. European members of NATO,...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at why reviews are commissioned and how they have been set up and run. This report looks at why reviews are commissioned and how they have been set up and run. It then makes recommendations for reviewers and officials on how to run a...

This report from UK think tank City-REDI highlights the critical challenges facing local governments in creating a sustainable, green economy. Climate change is increasingly impacting the world, with global temperatures 1.28°C above pre-industrial levels as of 2024. In the UK, nature is suffering, with a 19% average decline in wildlife since 1970 and nearly one...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation discusses using DB pension surpluses more productively. In late January, the Chancellor announced changes would be made to existing defined benefit (DB) pension regulations to allow surpluses from these schemes to be released. These assets could then be used for purposes including investment back into...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House analyses how effective the most common interventions are and whether they are fit for future conflicts. With governments around the world seeking to reduce their foreign aid budgets, and at a time of increasing global crises, those involved in conflict prevention face having to do more with...

This report from UK think tank Reform argues that an overly centralised healthcare system is impeding the transition to a more preventative model of care. In Reimagining Health: a framing paper, Reform set out the case for a radical new approach to health. Close enough to care is the first of a series of papers...

This report from UK think tank Reform sets out policy ideas for a new kind of hyperlocal governance: a universal, capable, and empowered tier of Neighbourhood Councils. A wave of local government reorganisation and regional devolution is sweeping across England, fundamentally changing the face of the local State. And as this happens, the gap at...

This report from UK think tank IPPR states that upcoming industrial strategy must make 'buying British and buying green' the easy option. Transport is essential to our lives. Unfortunately, it is currently also the largest source of UK domestic carbon emissions. Along with investment in infrastructure, the production of green transport equipment – electric trains...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation looks at the impact of 2025’s minimum wage and employer NICs increases. The coming week will be an expensive one for the employers of low-paid workers. On April 1st, the adult minimum wage will rise by 6.7 per cent – the seventh-largest rise in 26 years....

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities looks at the impact of hybrid working on spending patterns in both city centres and their local neighbourhoods. Five years after the UK went into lockdown, this briefing looks at the impact of hybrid working on spending patterns by workers in both city centres and their...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies reviews the three Cs for resisting the rollback of women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights. This briefing is based on a rapid scoping review of anti-rollback actors and activities post-2015, in 14 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the...

This report from UK think tank The Constitution Unit sets out possible reforms to the ways in which Northern Ireland’s devolved government works. Over a quarter of a century since the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland is rightly celebrated around the world as offering a model for how to build...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines responses to US power in a fracturing world. The ‘liberal international order’ that has been predominant, if often controversial, since 1945 is being challenged as never before. This reflects factors both long-standing and recent: the rise of China; the frustrations and ambitions of countries – including...

This report from UK think tank RUSI profiles the direct engagement of UK local authorities with Chinese diplomats and local governments. There is substantial value to establishing a UK-wide framework that enables more effective local authority engagement with China. This paper profiles the direct engagement of UK local authorities with Chinese diplomats and local governments....

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies looks at how much zakat we can estimate is being paid in Pakistan every year – and where the money is going. Every year, hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world pay a proportion of their wealth as zakat, one of the five...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies highlights the significance of informality in understanding gendered tax burdens. Recent policy debates have increasingly focused on the gendered impacts of taxation, yet much of this work is rooted in high-income contexts, overlooking the realities of low- and middle-income countries where most individuals, particularly...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at how regional solutions can support an end to conflict. The gold trade connects Sudan’s civil war to the wider region and highlights the roles that commodities play in perpetuating violent conflict. Even before the start of the civil war in 2023, Sudan’s main warring parties...

This report from UK think tank Localis looks at how the Local Power Plan can build on best practice and overcome local barriers to drive energy decarbonisation. Elected on a platform with strong emphasis on energy security and decarbonisation, the UK Government has set a goal of ‘clean power’ by 2030 and established Great British...

This report from UK think tank CEPEO examines the impact of debt forgiveness in promoting higher education outcomes. This paper examines the impact of a debt forgiveness program implemented in 2011 on education and labour market outcomes for student loan holders who pursued university education in Colombia. The policy generated a sharp discontinuity in the...

This event from UK think tank Reform makes the case for a government which is radically focused on the key policies to delivering its agenda. The State has become paralysed by a powerful force: Everythingism. Everythingism is the belief that every proposal, project or policy is a means for promoting every national objective, all at...

This report from UK think tank Reform identifies examples of best practice from across the UK that should inform the Government’s approach. The Government have been clear on the need to shift care decisively out of hospitals and into communities, facilitated by the creation of a new NHS – what they call a Neighbourhood Health...

This report from UK think tank RUSI assesses the digital defence capabilities, priorities and challenges facing five European states. The research, which assesses the digital defence capabilities, priorities and the challenges facing five European states - the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Spain – says that countries often possess robust digital technologies but struggle scaling...