Why the UK’s new towns must have high quality design at their core BY DAVID PENDLEBURY, BENEDIKT STRANAK Keir Starmer has made a bold promise: to build 1.5 million new homes in five years. Recent times have witnessed a glut of big… Read more »
Regional and local governments have been buffeted by a series of crises – austerity, the pandemic, and more recently, the cost of living and stagnant growth. This has made the already difficult task of tackling inequality between, and within places… Read more »
A recent NEF report uncovered pockets of rising poverty in Elmbridge where poverty and disadvantage exist under the radar. Borough-wide, there are fewer low-income residents than in many other areas of England. Digging under the surface, however, reveals that Elmbridge… Read more »
Hampshire County Council commissioned the consultancy of the New Economics Foundation to support creation of a strategy for green economic recovery that: We explored what a green economic recovery means for Hampshire, identified and assessed priority areas, and then brought… Read more »
AN ADVISORY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR A LONDON BOROUGH A London borough commissioned NEF to support them in creating an inclusive and green economic strategy that: A survey of 1000 residents in the borough had highlighted the profound impact of… Read more »
Last week we said goodbye to our colleague and friend, Elizabeth Cox. Liz lost her battle against cancer earlier this month and her funeral last week brought colleagues together to remember her and share stories of the impact she had… Read more »
A report on a study commissioned by MSC explores the social and economic impacts experienced by the MSC-certified Scottish haddock fishery as a result of becoming MSC certified. Haddock is the most important demersal whitefish species to Scottish fishers. In… Read more »
Supporting adaptation decision making for climate resilient investments: 40 climate risk country profiles for Asian Development Bank developing member countries. We were commissioned by the Asian Development Bank to create summary profiles of climate changes and climate impacts on 40… Read more »
Men working in finance and insurance are the only group whose income during the pandemic didn’t go down. Millions of workers across all sectors of the economy were on furlough. Millions more had their hours cut or lost their jobs…. Read more »
There is an affordable housing crisis in England: asking prices for homes rose a record amount in February. Almost half of all affordable housing in the UK is provided through section 106 (S106) obligations: requirements that local authorities place on housing developers when they… Read more »
BY MIATTA FAHNBULLEH, EMMET KIBERD, ANDREW PENDLETON Long-standing inequality between and within regions is holding back millions of households and acting as a drag on economic prosperity. The UK government is therefore right to establish levelling up as its primary mission alongside the… Read more »
Building collective control and capacity for action How can local people build control and take action on things that matter to them? Our research shows that there are five main components of collective control: social connectedness; knowledge, understanding, and skills;… Read more »
Hampshire County Council commissioned NEF Consulting to support them to create a strategy for green economic recovery that: Improves living standards rather than simply targeting GVA growth. Supports the creation of good, secure jobs. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the… Read more »
December 2019: Unemployment had fallen to its lowest level since 1975. The gap in the employment rate between disabled and non-disabled people in the UK was at 28.1 per cent. At the same time, UnLtd and NEF Consulting were looking at this issue as part of a new study into the impact of social entrepreneurs…. Read more »
Many people in Britain have no choice but to travel to get safe access to green space. When Boris Johnson rode out across London during lockdown, reportedly cycling seven miles from his home, he drew criticism for not following the spirit… Read more »
Leeds Bradford Airport expansion could see up to £3.1bn leave the local economy. New analysis by NEF Consulting shows that plans for the airport’s expansion also overestimated the number of new jobs by over a third. The proposed Leeds Bradford… Read more »
In the world of financial planning, one purpose reigns supreme: to maximise the returns of investment decisions. But focusing on the financial gain misses out much of what is a truly intimate and involved process. So, can wellbeing theories and practices… Read more »
A report from NEF Consulting for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) shows that Cornish hake has seen higher prices linked to MSC certification. Both Cornish hake and sardines have noted an improved reputation and better access to markets as a… Read more »
New research from NEF Consulting, commissioned by CPRE Hampshire, the countryside charity, explores the value of the countryside in South Hampshire. CPRE Hampshire is campaigning for a new Green Belt in South Hampshire. The report, Introducing a South Hampshire Green… Read more »
Green space is important for wellbeing but in poorer areas visits to parks have dropped. Official government guidance during lockdown advises us to “enjoy nature” and exercise outside once a day. When accessing green spaces, people should “stay local” while keeping “at least two metres apart… Read more »
In our research for the Help through Crisis programme, we looked at gendered causes of crisis, emerging themes, and how they relate to the coronavirus pandemic. A decade of austerity has left our welfare system ill-equipped to respond to the… Read more »
NEF aims to create a new economy that works for people and within environmental limits. We are guided by three missions:
A new social settlement
To ensure people are paid well, have more time off to spend with their families, and have access to the things we all need for a decent life.
A Green New Deal
A plan for government-led investment to reduce the carbon we emit and boost nature, while creating a new generation of jobs.
The democratic economy
To devolve state power and transform ownership of the economy to give everyone an equal stake in the places where we live and work.
We work with people to ignite change from below and carry out rigorous research to fight for change at the top.
We map local projects building a more democratic economy and the policies to make this happen.
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