Publications
Standing alone? Self-employment for those on low income
David Kirkby
February 2016
Rises in the number of individuals self-employed since 2008 have been accompanied by sharp falls in earnings. With average earnings from self-employment now well below average earnings for employees, understanding the experiences and challenges facing self-employed individuals on low income is vital. This report offers new evidence on these experiences and challenges and makes a number of policy recommendations to support this group more effectively.
Click here to download the report as a .pdf
Reducing poverty by promoting more diverse social networks for disadvantaged people from ethnic minority groups
Ryan Shorthouse
October 2015
There is growing evidence that an individual’s relationships – their ‘social capital’ – can help reduce poverty. For disadvantaged people from ethnic minority backgrounds, there is also evidence of a limited but significant relationship between less diverse social networks and poverty. This report makes four policy suggestions to help to strengthen and widen the social networks of disadvantaged people from ethnic minority groups.
Click here to download the report as a .pdf
The generation game: Spending priorities for an ageing society
Ryan Shorthouse, Andrew Harrop and Anthony Rowlands
September 2015
Published with the Fabian Society and CentreForum, this collection of essays explores spending priorities for an ageing population.
We need to find the fairest and most sustainable funding settlement as the country adapts to demographic change. This collection includes contributions from George Freeman MP, The Rt Hon Lord David Willetts, Dr John Pugh MP, Debbie Abrahams MP, Claudia Wood, Ryan Shorthouse and many more.
Click here to download the essay collection as a .pdf
A future without poverty
Ryan Shorthouse and Andrew Harrop
March 2015
This collection of essays, published with the Fabian Society, was launched at a major cross-party conference which we hosted.
Bucking the trend of escalating political mudslinging, the collection creates a cross-party space for people from different political, professional and social backgrounds to come together to share their experiences and find common solutions to poverty. This pamphlet includes contributions from Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, Kate Green MP, Philip Collins (The Times), Peter Franklin (ConservativeHome), Ryan Shorthouse (Bright Blue), Alison Garnham (CPAG) and many more.
Click here to download the essay collection as a .pdf
Give and take: how conservatives think about welfare
Ryan Shorthouse and David Kirkby
November 2014
Our welfare system is important for supporting the vulnerable and impoverished. But public support for the welfare state is low, especially amongst conservatives. To ensure the survival and success of our welfare system, a richer understanding is required of the principles individuals want it to enshrine and their views of where the existing system falls short.
This report outlines in detail how conservatives think of welfare. Interrelated themes are unearthed relating to benefit claimants, the purpose of welfare and sources of welfare. Drawing on these themes, original welfare reforms are proposed, designed to boost the effectiveness of - and public support for – the welfare system.
