If we were conducting a survey to find the Coalition’s most objectionable and destructive policy then we’d very likely end up with a long list of contenders. Parts of the policy agenda – such as welfare reform, education policy, or the privatisation of NHS delivery – have attracted […]
On Wednesday this year’s Housing Studies Association conference featured a panel discussion on the theme “Who is best placed to judge the value of housing – the state or the consumer?”. The panel members were Vidhya Alakeson of the Resolution Foundation; John Moss, a Councillor at LB Waltham […]
The arrival of Jeremy Browne’s Race Plan, published by the think tank Reform, has generated plenty of coverage in the mainstream and new media. Everyone – within the community of political nerds at least – has, for a few days at least, been talking about Jeremy. Presumably that […]
There is little doubt that IDS’s pet project – welfare reform – is having a significant impact on the lives of some of the most disadvantaged members of our society. And for every case where we might conclude that impact is positive, it would appear there is a […]
If you’re in or around Bristol on 28th April you might find the following event of interest. It’s being organised by Dr Diego Acosta Arcarazo, of the University’s Law School. I’m not involved, but I’ll be there. European Parliament elections 2014: join the debate The European Parliament election […]
I guess it’s a small thing. But I find it intensely irritating. I read much of the press coverage across a range of policy areas, but most commonly housing policy and welfare reform. A lot of the coverage in the broadsheet newspapers at the moment is documenting the […]
It was an uncomfortable experience reading today’s Work and Pensions Committee report on what we are now calling the “social sector size criteria” – aka the bedroom tax – and other components of housing support affected by welfare reform. It was uncomfortable because the cross-party Committee highlights the […]
Here are the five posts on this blog that recorded the most hits between January and March 2014: Uncertain terrain: Issues and challenges facing housing associations (11th May 2013) Why is Owen Jones so annoying? (4th July 2013) My top ten blogs 2013 (29th Dec 2013) A voyage of […]
Over at the New Statesman on Friday Ryan Shorthouse argued that liberals should look to the Conservatives to find the party delivering on a liberal agenda. In the post he reprises some themes that he set out in his contribution to the Liberal Reform fringe meeting at Liberal Democrat […]
A little late in the day I’ve just finished Adair Turner’s Economics after the crisis: objectives and means, published in 2012. It is based on Turner’s 2010 Lionel Robbins lectures. Economics after the crisis is a thoughtful book which makes a number of relatively simple but profound points. The […]
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