Institute of Welsh Affairs

We are a think tank and charity, independent of government and political parties. By bringing together experts from all backgrounds, we conceive ambitious and informed ideas which secure political commitments to improve our democracy and economy. Our work brings together a breadth of expertise and aims to improve the political education of the nation and the accountability and transparency of our politicians.

We provide platforms for debate, opportunities for people to make their voices heard and agenda-setting research. Through non-party political campaigning, we aim to create a Wales with a strong, confident democracy and a successful, clean and fair economy, enabling the country’s civic sphere to grow and strengthen. Our priorities mean that people in Wales have access to open and inclusive spaces for debate and discussion, are able to play their part in shaping a bright future, and feel real-life benefits from new ideas which will help make Wales better for all.

We also publish Wales’ longest standing current affairs magazine in English, the welsh agenda.

The IWA is funded by our members, income from our events and training sessions, and supported by trusts, foundations and other funding bodies. We are a proud signatory to the Zero Racism Wales pledge, a Living Wage employer and hold NCVO Trusted Charity Mark Level One.

Our vision is to create a Wales where everyone can thrive.


Latest reports

The next step for transport in Wales

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs recommends a deliberative approach to sustainable transport, developed in partnership with communities. Wales needs a future-proof transport system to face up to the realities of climate change, but Welsh Government is faced with a complex set of challenges: encouraging take-up of electric vehicles (EV)...

Read more

Sharing power, spreading wealth: towards an equitable energy transition for Wales

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs make recommendations to ensure that Welsh communities benefit from the transition to Net Zero. In our new report written by Lydia Godden, Sharing power, spreading wealth, we make recommendations to ensure that Welsh communities benefit from the transition to Net Zero. Despite ambitious targets,...

Read more

Wales, the journey to Net Zero

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs sets out a vision for accelerated infrastructure investment in Wales. Despite ambitious targets and a swathe of measures to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy, Welsh Government is currently failing to meet the pace and scale of change required by the challenge...

Read more

Creative Crossroads: sustainability and well-being in Wales’ creative sector

This paper from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs reports on the Creative Crossroads event organised by the Institute of Welsh Affairs with support from Creative Wales. Titled Creative Crossroads: Well-being & Sustainability in the Creative Industries, the event explored the challenges of funding, persisting precariousness, and sustainability in the creative sector in...

Read more

Funding journalism using participatory grantmaking: a guide

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs outlines how learning and best practice from participatory grantmaking could be adapted for journalism funding. In the UK and around the world we face multiple, intersecting crises – crises in our democratic institutions, crises of social inequality, and crises in our environment. We urgently...

Read more

Building bridges: Wales’ democracy – now, and for our future

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs warns against the effects of political pessimism if we are to overcome our ‘democratic malaise’. Our report, Building Bridges: Wales’ democracy – now, and for our future, calls for measures to strengthen Wales’ democracy beyond the electoral cycle and warns against the effects of...

Read more

Broadcasting regulation in Wales: Parts 2 and 3

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Welsh Affairs looks at international case studies and recommendations for broadcast regulations. This short paper forms the second and third part of a three-part piece of research. The research presented here was conducted by researchers of the Media Cymru programme at the Creative Economy Unit of...

Read more

Beyond social partnership? Devolved levers to support trade unions in Wales

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs looks at the role of trade unions in helping rebalance the economy. Months of industrial action have put trade unions in the spotlight, but despite some bright spots the trade union movement in Wales has still experienced a long-term decline. Young workers are not joining...

Read more

Broadcasting regulations in Wales: Part 1

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs maps out current resources available to regulators and policy-makers in Wales. The project will be published in full in early 2023, and include three sections: Part 1 aims to provide an overview of the current legislative and regulatory frameworks governing broadcasting in Wales. Part 2 will...

Read more

Citizens’ voices, people’s news: making the media work for Wales

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs looks at how improving access to the media, news and information in Wales, especially in an era of ‘fake news’. We wanted to understand where people get their news and information from, how much they trust it, and how it makes them think and...

Read more

Fiscal firepower: effective policy-making in Wales

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs argues that reforming borrowing powers is key to better enable transformative policy making in Wales. Despite having fairly strong powers and a budget in the tens of billions, our research finds that the Welsh Government only has a limited ability to kickstart major projects to improve...

Read more

Putting businesses at the heart of levelling up in Wales

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs argues that businesses in Wales need clarity and flexibility to help make Levelling Up a success. Over six months on from the release of our first paper, What Does Levelling Up Mean for Wales?, the rollout of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda has increased...

Read more