Policy briefings

In this policy briefing, Heather Buckingham, author of 'A Taste for Change' examines how more than 2.5 million people in the UK lived in households that used a food bank in 2024–25. This highlights the urgent need to tackle poverty, improve access to secure, fairly paid work and strengthen social security so that everyone can afford the essentials…Read more

Kenneth Gibb, author of 'Council Tax and Wider Property Taxation Reform', shows how council tax urgently needs reform to replace outdated property valuations and regressive rates with a fairer system that supports better housing and greater local government autonomy. …Read more

This policy briefing explores how community empowerment programmes give residents greater control over local decision-making in response to growing social division and declining trust in democracy.…Read more

The policy briefing highlights that, amid widespread UK food insecurity, food banks provide varied short-term support but lasting solutions require stronger social safety nets and measures that address the root causes of poverty.…Read more

In this policy briefing, Yaniv Benhamou, author of 'Creative Value Chains', warns that digital platforms drain value from the creative ecosystem and calls for reforms to ensure fairer rewards for all contributors.…Read more

This policy briefing by Charlie Winstanley, author of 'Bricking It', argues that short-term politics and fiscal constraints hinder effective responses to the asylum hotels crisis, and that strategic investment in housing could address both asylum accommodation challenges and the wider housing crisis.…Read more

In this policy briefing, Andries Baart and Guus Timmerman, authors of 'Relational Caring and Presence Theory in Health Care and Social Work', explore how bureaucratic systems in modern care often conflict with the relational practices essential to compassionate support.…Read more

Most read articles and most listened to podcast episodes in 2024 from Transforming Society, published by Bristol University Press and Policy Press, sharing impactful research aimed at inspiring social change. …Read more

In their practice briefing, Teresa Silva and Marzena Kordaczuk-Was, authors of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalisation, stress that addressing violent extremism has become a global priority.…Read more

In this practitioner briefing, Craig Barlow, author of 'The Complexities of Human Trafficking and Exploitation', shows how professionals in law enforcement, social work, education, and healthcare face challenges in addressing exploitation and trafficking due to oversimplified protocols. …Read more