Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
Here’s a simple question: why does the UK have a single agency, HM Revenue and Customs, to collect most taxes? This idea is so embedded in the UK political psyche that it is never, ever, questioned. But there are clear examples of alternatives that work perfectly well. In Denmark, for example, local government collects most […]
By Rob Ford, Mark Pickup, Will Jennings and Christopher Wlezien Filed Under: Featured, Polling Observatory Posted:
This is a Scottish independence special of a regular series of posts that reports on the state of support for the parties in Westminster as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence the impact of the random variation each individual survey inevitably produces can be reduced. Most of the short […]
By Rob Ford, Will Jennings, Mark Pickup and Christopher Wlezien Filed Under: Featured, Polling Observatory Posted:
As explained in the inaugural election forecast, up until May next year the Polling Observatory team will be producing a long term forecast for the 2015 General Election, using methods first applied ahead of the 2010 election (and which are also well-established in the United States). The authors’ method involves trying to make the best use of […]
By Rob Ford, Mark Pickup, Will Jennings and Christopher Wlezien Filed Under: Featured, Polling Observatory Posted:
This is the fortieth in a series of posts by Dr Robert Ford, Dr Will Jennings, Dr Mark Pickup and Prof Christopher Wlezien that report on the state of the parties in the UK as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence, the impact of the random variation that each individual survey inevitably produces can […]
Despite Race Acts intended to ensure equality of opportunity, employment inequality persists – and got worse in each recent recession, explains Professor Yaojun Li. Ethnic minority men are more likely than white men to be jobless when the economy is booming. During periods of recession they suffer disproportionately higher unemployment rates. Social surveys covering the […]
By Maria Sobolewska Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
That the UK’s counter-terrorism policy relies on flawed polls and survey questions for estimating the number of likely terrorists is truly scary, argues Dr Maria Sobolewska. Last week the media turned once again to trying to quantify how many young British Muslims are wannabe terrorists, travelling to Syria and Iraq and joining the Islamic terrorists […]
The recent release of the 2013 British Social Attitudes report has triggered the usual bout of agonised soul searching about the state of the nation, writes Dr Robert Ford. But dig into the data and it becomes clear that racial prejudice is on the decline. The British, it seems, are becoming meaner and more inward […]
By Rob Ford, Mark Pickup, Will Jennings and Christopher Wlezien Filed Under: Featured, Polling Observatory Posted:
This is the thirty-nineth in a series of posts by Dr Robert Ford, Dr Will Jennings, Dr Mark Pickup and Prof Christopher Wlezien that report on the state of the parties in the UK as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence, the impact of the random variation that each individual survey inevitably produces can […]
By Stephanie Snow Filed Under: Featured, Science and Technology Posted:
A new report in the British Medical Journal on centralising acute stroke services in Greater Manchester and London reveals the revolution in stroke care and treatment over the last twenty years – and it contains vital lessons for patients and policymakers, explains Dr Stephanie Snow. Around 152,000 of us will suffer from stroke in the […]
By Bridget Byrne Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
There are many ways of being British. This is a reality that politicians and others need to understand, explains Dr Bridget Byrne. In response to the ‘Trojan horse’ controversy in Birmingham, David Cameron, Conservative Party leader has again stressed his belief in the need to emphasise ‘British values’. This is not a new approach. In […]
