Publications
All Policy Exchange publications are free to download in .pdf format. You can also purchase hard copies of the majority of our reports – check each individual report page for details.
Recent Publications
Bigger and Quieter: The right answer for aviation
Policy ExchangeBigger and Quieter: The right answer for aviation examines all of the options for increasing airport capacity in the UK and concludes that the best option would be to place four runways immediately west of the current Heathrow site. This would double the existing capacity to 130 million passengers, cementing it as Europe’s premier hub.
Future of Corrections: Exploring the use of electronic monitoring
Rory GeogheganFuture of Corrections shows that the current system of tagging is in desperate need of reform. A more effective use of tagging, where police and probation officers are directly involved in keeping track of offenders and recommending to prison governors and the courts which criminals should be tagged, could save hundreds of millions of pounds and help the Coalition achieve its goal of stabilising the prison population by 2015.
Bits and Billions: A blueprint for high-impact digital entrepreneurship in the UK
Chris YiuThe UK has enormous potential to be a world-leader in the high-tech and digital economy, but it is tough for start-ups to find enough coders, designers and other highly skilled staff. Bits and Billions looks to the United States, especially California which is home to nearly half of the top 100 digital start-ups in the world, for lessons for UK policymakers.
Simple Things, Done Well: Making practical progress on digital engagement and inclusion
Policy Exchange and Sarah FinkRead Publication Simple Things, Done Well supports the greater use of the internet to deliver more personalised, cheaper and speedier public services but says that the government must pay special attention to older people who often prefer face-to-face contact when...
Why Aren’t We Building Enough Attractive Homes? Myths, misunderstandings and solutions
Policy Exchange and Alex MortonWhy Aren’t We Building Enough Attractive Homes: Myths, misunderstandings and solutions shows how large developers are ‘playing’ an outdated planning system and fooling the government into potentially wasting taxpayers’ money propping up land prices. The report recommends wholesale changes to the planning system to end ‘land banking’, give local people planning control and get more good new homes built.
Proceed with Caution: Use of Out-of-Court Disposals in England & Wales
Karen SosaNew analysis by Policy Exchange shows that there is widespread and inconsistent use of out-of-court disposals such as cautions and penalty notices. Proceed with Caution also finds that some serious offenders are escaping justice by avoiding prosecution or because many simply do not pay a penalty notice.
Do the Public Back More Reform of Public Services? An overview of the latest opinion research
Sean Worth and Colleen NwaodorThis research briefing gives an overview of the public’s attitudes to key issues of public services reform – specifically, issues of choice, quality and the use of more providers from outside the state, including charities, social enterprises and businesses. It uses new polling carried out for this study, as well as examining what is known from existing research.
Mind the Gap: The size and costs of pay differentials between the public and private sectors in the UK
Matthew OakleyMind the Gap examines how public and private wages differ in local areas. It demonstrates a complex picture of mismatches between the wages one might expect individuals to receive based on their characteristics and types of job, and the public sector wages they receive: pay differentials vary dramatically both across and within regions and across the pay distribution.
Local Pay, Local Growth: Reforming pay setting in the public sector
Ed Holmes and Matthew OakleyRebalancing the pay and pensions of public sector workers so that they are in line with that of equivalent workers in the private sector would save £6.3 billion a year in public spending. This money would be better spent on tackling local unemployment and could create at least 288,000 private sector jobs in some of the areas of the country suffering most from the impact of the recession.
