By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Today Policy Exchange published its latest report, Inside Job. This report focuses on work schemes in the prison system, and how they could be improved. It finds that there are many shortcomings with the current work regime. The report recommends a normal working week for prisoners, as a better way […]
by Paul Goodman According to research from the Department for Work and Pensions: The average jobseeker currently spends just one hour a day looking for work. Over a third of benefit claimants felt that there was nothing wrong with choosing to stay on benefits rather than looking for work and that claiming benefits should be […]
Neil O'Brien is Director of Policy Exchange Why on earth are the railways so expensive? The cost of tickets is shooting up. And the taxpayer subsidy is huge too – Network rail alone gets a grant of nearly 4 billion from the government. These huge costs are one reason why lots of people say that […]
By Tim Montgomerie The Telegraph leads this morning with a report from Policy Exchange that shows that public sector workers are not only better paid than people in the private sector but that the advantage is getting greater: "The public sector pay premium for a typical worker increased in every region of the UK in […]
By Tim Montgomerie Over at ToryDiary I look at the PX Poll's implications for the Conservative Party but pasted below are some key findings: MOST IMPORTANT VALUES IN A POLITICAL PARTY Economic responsibility: 59% Fairness: 50% Family values: 32% Traditional values: 29% Equality: 21% Liberty: 20% Patriotism: 17% Environmentalism: 11% FAIRNESS IS ABOUT GETTING WHAT […]
By Jonathan Isaby This week has seen David Skelton appointed as Neil O'Brien's deputy at Policy Exchange. David, who has been working at management consultancy PA Consulting Group, was Conservative candidate for North Durham at last year's general election and is a former Deputy Director of the Parliamentary Resources Unit. He is also a regular […]
by Paul Goodman Policy Exchange has today published a new report which says that schools are ignoring pupils capable of getting A* grades – concentrating instead on bumping students up from a D to a C. The study, called Room at_the_Top, was undertaken by Professor Deborah Eyre, the Education Director for Nord Anglia Education. It […]
By Jonathan Isaby I have already written this morning about the ongoing speculation about what the Government is going to do with its NHS reforms. Right on cue comes another contribution to the debate this morning from the think-tank Policy Exchange. It has just issued a paper, Implementing GP Commissioning, by Eve Norridge, a former […]
Alex Morton is Senior Research Fellow on Housing and Planning at Policy Exchange, which today publishes More Homes: Fewer Empty Buildings. He sets out below why the reforms it proposes are needed. Today Policy Exchange publishes More Homes: Fewer Empty Buildings. This proposes relaxing the rules around changing buildings from employment and retail uses to […]
Tim Montgomerie A new report from Policy Exchange - Download a PDF of "Bringing Rights Back Home" – calls for Britain to leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if the Court cannot reform itself. The report's recommendations have the backing of the vast majority of the British people. 66% […]
by Paul Goodman Policy Exchange must be turning out a pamphlet a week. Today, Alex Massey from its Education Unit calls for universities to reduce potential student debt and protect teaching and research by cutting their costs – for example, by outsourcing such functions as maintenance and accommodation. In a research note called Higher Education […]
by Paul Goodman Britain’s electricity market is being hamstrung by too much regulation and uncertainty, according to a new study from Policy Exchange. The research, compiled by Simon Less, finds that costs are being piled on consumers, with generators waiting for government to centrally plan – and regularly fine-tune – its proposals, rather than seeking […]
by Paul Goodman The claim comes from Policy Exchange, in a research note launched today entitled "Not With A Bang But A Whimper". According to Ted Sumpster, its author, "the UK’s financial services industry is in danger of fading away" – which has big implications for the economy and taxpayers, since one study found that […]
by Paul Goodman The report is called Reforming provision in English schools, and the thrust of its case is that parents should have a guaranteed choice on what type of schooling their child should get. Its main recommendations are – Greater honesty and clarity from government about the amount of cash available for SEN […]
By JP Floru Hearing Trevor Phillips live is always a bit of a treat. He did not disappoint at Policy Exchange on Tuesday. The man oozes integrity. He is not an extremist, clearly well-intentioned, trying to better the world. Yet I disagreed with him – as it seems that the method used to fight discrimination […]