Reports

This report from UK think tank Civitas looks at the new government review of defence and security. Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced plans to launch a new defence and foreign policy review, whilst in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly in late September. The new British government under Prime Minster...

This report from UK think tank Onward looks at why R&D tax credits matter, and how to improve them. R&D tax incentives have been a vital tool in driving business R&D spending. In part thanks to the incentives regime, the UK has reached its target for R&D spending (2.4% of GDP by 2027) eight years early....

This report from UK think tank Civitas looks at the case for recognising marriage in the tax system and why we should keep the Marriage Allowance. Marriage is disappearing in Britain. 2021 was the first year on record that the number of children born to unmarried couples exceeded the number of children born to married...

This briefing from UK think The Policy Institute looks at why people largely feel so positive about the shift to hybrid working. As hybrid working becomes a feature of everyday life for so many people post-pandemic, the Policy Institute and King's Business School carried out a representative survey of 2,030 London workers aged 16+, between...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at policy lessons from police surveillance in Buenos Aires and São Paulo. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years have driven the rapid development of facial recognition technologies. Jurisdictions around the world have begun to grapple with the question of how to regulate their use....

This report from UK think tank Onward looks at the case for school enrichment. In this report Onward sets out a plan to boost the provision of school enrichment in every school in England. This is vital to improve outcomes for children. The disadvantage gap has scarcely closed in recent decades and young people are...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at Germany’s relatively successful attempts to rebalance regional growth since reunification. For 150 years, centralised government has allowed regional inequality to accelerate. The so-called ‘north-south’ divide in fact describes economic under-performance of most of the south west, the midlands, the north of England, Wales, Scotland...

This report from UK think tank The King's Fund looks at delivering a coherent CVD and public health strategy focusing on prevention and management. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes 1 in 4 deaths in England, and is a leading cause of morbidity, disability and health inequalities. The Covid-19 pandemic has added to the urgency of tackling...

This report from UK think tank the Joseph Rowntree Foundation looks at economic insecurity and mental distress in 2020s Britain. What you need to know On 12 different markers of mental health problems – from sleep loss to impeded social life – renters raised the flag for distress much more often than homeowners, and on...

This report from UK think tank the Legatum Institute looks at the prosperity for all 50 states of the Union and thousands of selected counties. The American Dream Prosperity Index (ADPI) offers a set of unique and holistic insights into what is driving and constraining change across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the UK’s complex ecosystem of institutions, individuals and organisations that uphold the constitution. MPs and ministers must do more to protect and bolster the checks and balances that uphold the UK constitution – or risk damaging public trust in the governance of the...

This report from UK think tank HEPI identifies opportunities for enhancing university governance in England. Dr Alison Wheaton considers how university governing body members in England perceive their roles and what this means for the higher education sector. The report, which is based on Dr Wheaton’s recent PhD, finds a shift towards more interactive governance...

This report from UK think tank CLES looks at the retrofit of social housing stock in the South of Scotland. This report explores the potential of registered social landlords (RSLs) taking the lead in delivering a just transition in Scotland. Analysis, conducted by IPPR, finds that, by using their influence to develop the retrofit supply...

This report from UK think tank Onward rejects the idea that Treasury orthodoxy must be completely overhauled, arguing that evolution, not revolution, is required. Conservatives must consign half-baked version of Thatcherism to history for the party to restore its economic reputation. The failed experiment with Trussonomics presents an opportunity for the Prime Minister and Chancellor...

This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at how further Western support is needed to counter Moscow's approach to the air war. Further Western support is needed to ensure that Kyiv can counter Moscow's updated approach to the air war in Ukraine.

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies looks at Covid-19 impacts on industries, sectors and socioeconomic groups. This report provides a snapshot of the research undertaken and published by members of the IDRC-supported CORE programme. It sets out the main themes addressed by the research in relation to Covid-19 impacts on...

This report from UK think tank Bright Blue looks at how government can play its part in reducing the level of fly-tipping and littering. Fly-tipping and littering continues to cause economic, environmental and social damage to communities across the country. With fly-tipping incidents rising over the past three years and reports of littering increasing, it...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how best to slim down and save money in the civil service. This paper sets out the six steps government can take which would cut the civil service and save money, while not damaging skills and capability. It welcomes Rishi Sunak’s decision to...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at the political landscape on Loss and Damage finance, with the aim of increasing understanding. Ranging from extreme drought to apocalyptic floods and rising sea levels, climate change impacts are wreaking ever more severe destruction globally, causing widespread ‘loss and damage’ with disastrous implications for affected...

This report from UK think tank the IIED highlights different ways that Locally Led Adaptation can be financed and delivered. Locally led adaptation (LLA) is an approach which seeks to ensure that local people have individual and collective agency over defining, prioritising, designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating adaptation actions. LLA is grounded in the belief...

This report from UK think tank the Nuffield Trust looks at variation in treatment rates for routine hospital care, both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. In England there is a huge backlog in routine hospital care, with more than 7 million patients waiting to begin hospital treatment as of August 2022. It is now...

This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society looks at “Hindutva” and the creation of a false narrative. From 4th-20th September 2022, there was significant civil unrest between ethnic minority groups in Leicester, including vandalism of property, assaults, stabbings and attacks on places of worship. Most notably, on the weekend of 17th September,...

This report from UK think tank the Sutton Trust looks at accents and social mobility. Accent is arguably the primary signal of socioeconomic status. It is also a major indicator of many other aspects of a person’s social background, some of them protected characteristics, including gender, race, age, sexuality, and many others. A hierarchy of...

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at what research leadership is and why it matters. Professor Flinders identifies, at worst, a research leadership vacuum and, at best, a leadership lag and far-reaching concern about lost leaders. These findings go to the core of broader questions concerning talent management, equality and inclusion, and how...

This report from UK think tank the SMF looks at how increasing SME e-commerce exports can boost UK’s economic growth. The UK has had an exports problem. Since the financial crisis of 2008, it has been lagging behind its pre-crisis trend. This has been further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, where UK exports have failed...