Citizens, society and economy

The society we live in has changed in important ways, meaning that progressives need to interpret the world afresh, apply our values to new problems and generate fresh thinking and proposals for change. 

Over the last decade, the UK's economic model delivered high employment rates and increased public revenues that government used to invest in public services and reduce poverty. But the subsequent economic crisis has shown that this model was ultimately unsustainable, and left some major social problems of our time unaddressed. Moreover, the priority policymakers have given to economic growth is being questioned, given powerful evidence that it is neither the best route to promoting human well-being nor sustainable in environmental terms.

Globalisation has created losers as well as winners, has driven vast income inequalities, and left the demands of work and family life increasingly at odds. At the same time our population has become increasingly diverse, enriching our culture and contributing to our prosperity, but also presenting us with the new challenges and tensions.

Progressives have typically sought to achieve social change by deploying the levers of the central state. But there are limits to what can be achieved through state intervention alone. Many of the challenges we face in terms of health, education and crime, require families, communities and individuals to play a much greater role. At the same time we know that levels of community participation and civic engagement are at all time lows.

These major challenges facing policy-makers today will inform ippr's research priorities in this area.