Latest Publications

The Government promised to make a legal commitment to increasing wellbeing and reducing disparities in it across the UK. This paper considers how subjective wellbeing fits with the rest of the levelling up strategy, especially in relation to places that are prosperous, healthy and well educated, but nevertheless have low wellbeing.

This report explores young people’s “outlook” in the UK, the role of outlook in shaping life outcomes, and how policy can respond in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report, the fifth in a series commissioned by Peabody, updates our analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on London's economy. It explores the latest timely data on economic outcomes to produce an as up-to-date picture as possible.

Whilst political attention is largely trained on the party politics and votes at stake in Hartlepool, there is much that policymakers can learn by looking at the North East constituency....

This briefing paper, authored by Conservative MPs Bim Afolami and Laura Trott sets out the case for new "Accelerator Zones" to be established across the UK, designed to drive innovation and growth in university towns and cities.

This report offers clear evidence-driven analysis of the economic impact of the two most pressing issues facing the UK economy today: the coronavirus crisis and our future relationship with the European Union when the transition period ends.

This SMF briefing note provides an update on the state of Britain’s coastal communities. Worryingly, it shows that the economic gap between coastal communities and the rest of the country has widened even more since our 2017 report.

The SMF has undertaken a brief analysis of economic and social data at a local authority level, to better understand the extent to which coastal communities are among the worst ranked parts of the country in terms of earnings, employment, health and education.

Greater devolution in England has been largely framed around growth, with much less debate about the effect on poverty. This paper is intended to provide a summary of the key questions and considerations facing policymakers, informed by two roundtable events held in Birmingham and London, with politicians and policymakers from local and central Government, local charities, and experts on city growth and poverty.