Publications Archive

Clearing the Fog of Law shows that misguided human rights laws mean British troops operating in the heat of battle are now being held to the same standard as police officers patrolling the streets on a Saturday night in the West End. The report calls for British forces to operate under the rules of the Geneva Conventions, rather than the ECHR, in future conflicts.

The Government should establish a new Energy Efficiency Delivery Unit and Energy Performance Certificates should be linked to business rates to incentivise landlords to invest more in energy efficiency, according to Clean Growth, the new report from Policy Exchange’s influential and expert Energy and Environment team. The report calls for a new approach by Government to encourage investment in business energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions and improve business productivity. Existing tools like the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme can be much better used – and must be extended to public sector institutions like the NHS and MoD.

The models used to assess the economic impact of Brexit were misleading, according to new analysis by Dr Graham Gudgin, Policy Exchange’s new Chief Economics Adviser and the co-author of the report. At the time, the projections made by the Treasury, OECD and IMF were used by the then government and Remain campaign to argue that the British economy would face a significant and permanent loss of income in the event of a vote to leave. A careful analysis of the gravity trade economic models used to generate these pessimistic projections suggests that the impact of Brexit on our economy will be much less significant than the economic consensus constructed at the time of the referendum.

In November 2016, days before the Supreme Court hearing in the Miller case, Professor Timothy Endicott (University of Oxford) delivered a lecture for Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project on the royal prerogative. Reflecting its weight and importance, the lecture was relied on by the Government’s lawyers. Today, the Judicial Power Project publishes a revised and updated version of Professor Endicott’s lecture, with a foreword by Professor Sir Ross Cranston, recently retired from the High Court bench and former Solicitor General.

In a new paper for Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project, Professor Carol Harlow QC (Hon) looks at the problem of the judicialisation of administrative justice. After a homeless refugee turned down a flat on the grounds that the shape of its windows remind her of the prison in Iran where she was tortured, a housing officer concluded that this ended the local authority’s obligation to house her. That decision was then reviewed by one county court judge, three Court of Appeal judges, and five Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court’s involvement was necessary to rebuff attempts by the European Court of Human Rights to judicialise administrative law and practice. Professor Harlow’s paper commends the Supreme Court’s approach, arguing that it shows how domestic judges and lawmakers can form a “Parliament Square Axis” to limit European judicial overreach.

A new paper from Policy Exchange’s Britain in the World project, examining the future of NATO. The paper argues that current events, from Russian aggression to the EU’s internal politics, mean that NATO is weakening at a time when security challenges are growing

In this major new report — by Policy Exchange’s Head of Energy and Environment, Richard Howard, alongside Matt Rooney, Zoe Begherbi, and David Charlesworth — the case is set out that the Government must take more action now to tackle the twin problems of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from road transport. Amongst other key findings, the report’s analysis reveals that hitting carbon targets will leave a £9-23 billion p.a. hole in tax receipts by 2030, and that official estimates of vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency are highly misleading.

Brexit presents a huge opportunity for the UK Government to develop a new approach to waste and resources policy. Rather than adopting the EU’s proposed ‘Circular Economy Package’, which would cost British businesses an extra £2 billion over the next twenty years, the British government should use Brexit to define our own approach.

A report by Jon Holbrook, barrister, and James Allan, Professor in the TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland, which provides an analysis of the discourse on global governance that has arisen following the emergence of rights-based treaties.

A commentary by Sir Geoffrey Owen, Head of Industrial Policy at Policy Exchange and former Editor of the Financial Times. Sir Geoffrey examines the reasons for US leadership in two key sectors, information technology and biotechnology, highlighting the important role played by new entrepreneurial firms

This report is based on work begun by Jo Cox MP (1974-2016) and Tom Tugendhat MP. It was completed by Alison McGovern MP and Tom Tugendhat MP

“There are few more complex questions than when to intervene overseas. Jo Cox was an inspirational humanitarian who cared deeply about preventing violence and protecting people around the world. It is a fitting part of Jo’s legacy that this paper will challenge politicians of all parties to consider how we can put such considerations at the heart of the decisions we take.” (Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Prime Minister.

New analysis of the Labour Force Survey by Policy Exchange shows for the first time that the most diverse occupations in England and Wales are taxi driving and dentistry – with farming being the least diverse. The picture that emerges is of a workplace where ethnically diverse occupations tend to be either low skilled jobs or highly skilled professional occupations.

With a foreword by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson, and a postscript by former Foreign Secretary David Owen, this major contribution to the public debate sets out proposals for a ‘Clean Brexit’. It is written by Policy Exchange’s Chief Economic Advisor, Dr Gerard Lyons, and leading Telegraph economics commentator, Liam Halligan

Clarity in law is much more than an arcane pursuit. This short collection of essays examines the importance of ensuring that the legislation associated with education both supports the policy aims of the state and matches our understanding of high quality provision.

This report — written by Rebecca Lowe Coulson, Policy Exchange’s State and Society Research Fellow — shows that claims suggesting that income inequality has never been greater are not only societally divisive, they are also largely untrue. It also explains why income equality does not necessarily equate to high overall living standards, and explores how that relates to the duties of the state towards the least well off.

This report presents new research by Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics at Birkbeck University, which examines attitudes towards racism amongst British and American voters of different races and political persuasions.

This lecture by Professor Nigel Biggar was delivered at Policy Exchange on 31 January 2017. The lecture reflects on some of the moral lessons we should and should not learn from the recent history of British military interventions abroad, in view of the challenges and dilemmas Britain is likely continue to face in the future. After Iraq, it asks, what are the circumstances in which Britain should go to war?

This scoping paper — written by Policy Exchange Economic and Social Policy Research Fellow, Jonathan Dupont, and Head of Environment and Energy, Richard Howard — looks at the big questions surrounding a new Industrial Strategy

This new report — by Dr Martyn Frampton, David Goodhart, and Khalid Mahmood — involves the most extensive research of British Muslims ever conducted, and ‘finds they broadly share the same views as the rest of the population’.

This new commentary, written by Jonathan Dupont — Policy Exchange Economic and Social Policy Research Fellow — contends that ‘given the current stability of the economy, there is no need for dramatic policy interventions, and the Chancellor should be unafraid to deliver a steady-as-it-goes Autumn Statement’

This major new Policy Exchange report on ethnic minority progression at the top of business and the professions is a story of glass half full and glass half empty

In this new report, Richard Howard — Policy Exchange’s Head of Energy and Environment — urges the government to provide clarity about the future of the Carbon Price Support in the forthcoming Autumn Statement

New Policy Exchange report sets out the economic and environmental case for creating a smarter power system, using clean technologies such as battery storage and demand response.

This briefing note gives an overview of the current evidence on the impact of development spending in R&D, with a particular focus on life sciences — the jewel in the crown of the UK economy.

In this new report for Policy Exchange, Nick Ferrari argues that Uber should pay more tax and operate more safely, but that black cabs need change, too.

Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project new paper by Richard Ekins commenting on ‘Brexit and Judicial Power’ coincides with a panel event on the same theme, chaired by Lord Judge, former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

Policy Exchange argues that Housing Associations should be given more freedoms to build so that the Government can meet its housing target.

Making Sense of British Foreign Policy After Brexit argues that the UK should use Brexit as an opportunity to adopt a more proactive global foreign policy, enhance its defence profile, and re-imagine relations with key allies.

Richard Howard, Head of Environment and Energy, warns that the previous Government’s plan to install electric heat pumps in 4 out of 5 homes is a colossal waste of money, and sets out an alternative strategy to decarbonise heating.