Latest Publications

This is the third of three papers exploring tobacco, alcohol, obesity and gambling policy. It argues that the contribution of such activities to the economy should not be used as a justification to avoid action to discourage them, whereas the costs they generate through ill health are more significant – though they should not be overstated.

Childcare costs in the UK are contributing to poverty and gender inequality. As part of our cross-party Commission on Childcare, we're publishing new analysis on the extent of the childcare crisis - the impact of being dragged out of the labour market to look after children has a long-term, scarring effect on wages. We'll be engaging with stakeholders and developing policy solutions in Autumn.

This report calls attention to the scale of in-work poverty in the UK and London today, what drives it, and the impact it has. It is a part of a wider project – created in partnership with Trust for London - to develop a new benchmark that helps businesses tackle in-work poverty.

The report analyses the specific barriers facing BAME businesses and entrepreneurs from reaching their full potential, by offering policy direction to government agencies on multiple levels, as well as prompting financial providers to alter their behaviour account for community and entrepreneur-specific needs.

This report, authored by Andrew O'Brien (Director of External Affairs for Social Enterprise UK), argues that the Government should break the norm of cutting business taxation at a time of economic crisis and instead embark on an ambitious programme of structural reform to UK plc in the wake of coronavirus.

This seventh briefing paper in the 'Global Perspectives' series, a collaboration between the SMF and the University of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE), reviews the literature on the implications of EU membership for the UK.

This essay concludes that India can grow faster if Indians can sort out their troubled relationship with the idea of globalisation.

Unlocking Development argues that the world's poor are trapped in poverty and investigates how best to promote the rule of law in order to make economic growth more stable and sustainable.

Growing Businesses sets out the policy areas that are most important to address in order to fully exploit the potential of UK businesses. By providing an in-depth analysis of eight areas of public policy, along with detailed comparisons with our competitors internationally, it shows where the UK performs well and where there is room for improvement.