Current Projects

An overview of ongoing Fabian Society research projects. For further information, or to work with us on future projects, please contact our research team.

DEFEATING PENSIONER POVERTY

Supported by PLSA, we are scoping out policy options that would significantly reduce pensioner poverty. Pensioner poverty is high and rising: despite the triple lock, 16 per cent of UK pensioners were living in poverty in 2022/23 – 3 percentage points higher than 10 years previously. Existing approaches to tackling pensioner poverty have run out of road. We need a new strategy. This project will examine a series of options.

EMPLOYMENT STATUS

With support from Evri, we are exploring options to improve employment rights for the self-employed, ‘workers’ and employees. The project involves understanding the experience of people in the intermediate ‘worker’ category, especially those who are in the ‘gig’ economy, and setting out how to improve their working lives.

ENDING EARLY YEARS POVERTY

With support from Unicef UK, Dartmouth Street Trust and Trust for London, we are developing a roadmap for the next government to eradicate poverty for under-fives in Great Britain. We will focus on raising incomes, primarily through social security. And we will set out practical solutions, addressing both the political and the practical challenges of transferring money to families of young children.

FIRST STEPS TO A NATIONAL CARE SERVICE

With support from Unison, we are convening a stakeholder summit and writing a research paper on the first steps towards a National Care Service. This will build on our project on the National Care Service, which reported to Unison and Wes Streeting MP in 2023.

LIVING STANDARDS ACTION PLAN

With support from the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, we are developing a comprehensive, deliverable plan to raise living standards for low-to-middle income households during the next parliament. With support from an expert advisory group we will make proposals on the strategy and institutional machinery needed to achieve higher living standards and a sustained reduction in poverty. 

PRODUCTIVITY GAINS

With the support of the Alex Ferry Foundation, we are exploring how the UK can boost productivity growth in a way that benefits workers. A forthcoming paper will summarise why the UK needs ‘good’ productivity growth and sets out practical recommendations that would enable this to occur.

PRACTICAL POWER

With the support of FEPS and the Dartmouth Street Trust, we are undertaking research to conceptualise and measure inequalities in people’s power and control. We are developing indicators for measuring power in people’s day-to-day lives and seeking to understand how to talk about unequal power.

TACKLING NON-DECENT HOMES

With support from the Northern Housing Consortium, Guinness, Independent Age and Home Group, we are undertaking a project on non-decent homes. We will develop practical solutions to improving housing quality in the social and private rented sectors, including retrofit, thermal comfort, accessibility, and ending Category 1 hazards.