Lessons From the Past for Policy Futures
Modern governments have tended to rely heavily on a ‘follow the science’ response to epidemiological threats. However, epidemics are moments of both scientific uncertainty and social crisis. This poses challenges for determining fair and effective policies. Using historical examples, Adam Wright show how scientific advice is often narrowly defined and indeterminate during epidemics and why…
What should the rights and balancing duties of the modern welfare citizen be? Steven King looks at the longer history of welfare policy and how it may inform current debates on the matter.
Little did Gro Harlem Brundtland know that her 1987 UN report, ‘Our Common Future’, would spawn a whole new industry: that of sustainability. Yet the roots of sustainable business, and its cousins, ESG, DEI and other non-financial measures of impact, go back not just decades but centuries. We explore how the innocence of Victorian entrepreneurs…
On Monday 12 May, Keir Starmer announced his government’s plans to reform the immigration system, tightening rules on who may reside in the UK. Although quickly denying any political incentive, the timing of this announcement and his use of language are all too reminiscent of future policies that Reform UK under Nigel Farage are offering.…
Steven King looks both ahead and to the past when considering Rachel Reeves and Liz Kendall’s plans for welfare budget cuts. Why are such plans always doomed to fail?
Online seminar
7 April 2026
Annette Wright
Online seminar
2 June 2026
Natalie Carter
Online seminar
7 July 2026
Susannah Ottaway, Alannah Tomkins, and Samantha Williams
