News & Insight

10 December 2012

It is for each generation to make democratic choices about the welfare provision it wishes to pay for, albeit with the ‘path dependency’ of previous decisions, institutional arrangements and implicit promises. Nevertheless economists can make projections regarding the fiscal impact...

6 December 2012

In the 21st century, you might think that the way we live our lives would no longer be determined by anything as primal as the weather. So it might come as a surprise to be reminded that winter – or...

5 December 2012

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has just announced that 3 million people in the UK consider themselves underemployed, so it may seem strange for me to argue that what the country really needs is more part-time and flexible working...

5 December 2012

There is widespread public support for the transition to a low carbon economy – and this public support could help decide the next election according to a new poll commissioned by the Fabian Society with the support of WWF-UK. The poll...

5 December 2012

The worst electoral mistake a political party can make is to ask the public a question to which it is not the most logical or natural answer. In 2011, Scottish Labour got hammered because we asked: ‘Which party would you vote...

1 December 2012

The Beveridge report was published at the high-watermark of British solidarity. In December 1942, its bold social principles – of universal coverage, full employment, family allowances, benefits in return for contributions, a national health service, and the right to citizen...