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

Lasting Change or Passing Fad? Problem Solving Justice in England and Wales
Ben UllmannThis report seeks to identify strategies that reformers can utilise to spread problem-solving justice as broadly as possible in a time of shrinking resources.

Escaping the Poverty Trap: How to help people on benefits into work
Lawrence KayThe report recommends reducing the expected rises in benefits over the next few years, tapering away the Family element of the Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit at 39% once the Child Element has been exhausted and raising the earnings disregard for all means-tested benefits to £92.80.

Educating Rita? A model to address inadequate state support for part-time students
Anna Fazackerley and Julian ChantEducating Rita recommends that the government must invest £33 million to begin tackling the chronic underfunding of part-time students who currently receive a fraction of the support given to their younger full-time counterparts.

A Wasted Opportunity: Getting the most out of Britain’s Bins
Robert McIlveen and Ben CaldecottA Wasted Opportunity recommends the radical overhaul of the UK’s waste system to reduce the cost on households, improve recycling rates, increase local authority efficiency and expand the proportion of the UK’s energy needs met through waste.

Arrested Development: Reducing the number of young people in custody while reducing crime
Max Chambers Read Publication Our latest report recommends that local authorities should foot the bill for youth custody places, thereby removing the existing perverse incentive in the system. At present, local authorities have a financial disincentive to keep young people out of...
Building Blocks: An investigation into Building Schools for the Future
Anna Fazackerley and Katherine QuarmbyThe report recommends that Labour’s flagship Building Schools for the Future programme should be radically simplified and the quango who currently delivers this project – Partnerships for Schools – should have its remit curtailed.

The Power of Numbers: Why Europe needs to get younger
Policy ExchangeThe Power of Numbers looks at what population changes will mean as numbers continue to rise in the developing world, across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and how the economic, political and military balance of power across the globe will be affected.

Value in Public Services
Rhodri DaviesThis report argues that a new concept of value is needed to form the basis for reform of public services. We identify five elements of value against which services should be judged.

Green skies thinking: Promoting the development and commercialisation of sustainable bio-jet fuels
Ben CaldecottGreen Skies Thinking recommends the setting of achievable and enforceable targets for replacing standard kerosene jet fuel with bio-jet fuel from 2020, through the implementation of an EU-wide Sustainable Bio-jet Fuel Blending Mandate. This would result in reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from the UK and EU aviation sectors of 15% in 2020 and 60% in 2050 relative to current predictions.

Public Sector Pensions: The UK’s second national debt
James Mackenzie Smith and Lawrence KayThis report reveals the true extent of the public sector pension debt, which until now has been kept hidden and out of official figures. The cost of these schemes is much larger even the publicly acknowledged national debt.