social policy

This episode of Radio 4's Woman's Hour series asks if single parents should have to seek work to get benefits. As the Government launches further pilot projects to encourage lone parents to return to work, Woman's Hour asks whether incentives or sanctions are more effective in getting parents back into the labour market.

David Willets, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary and Kate Stanley, Head of Social Policy at the Institute for Public Policy Research discuss whether lone parents with secondary school aged children should have to seek work in order to claim benefits.

IHRA is the leading organisation in promoting evidence based harm reduction policies and practices on a global basis for all psychoactive substances (including illicit drugs, tobacco and alcohol).

This resource looks at the UK education system. On January 15th 2004 a dozen film crews from the BBC in Bristol went out across the length and breadth of the country to capture a day in the life of education. Each crew followed a single person over their normal day.

In this episode of Radio 4's Thinking Allowed series, following the interview with Sociologist James Stockinger in September 2004, Professor Peter Nolan talks to Laurie Taylor on the uniqueness of the British the public sector ethos and finds out why its employees, despite being the most motivated, are the most demoralised sector of the workforce. This segment is second of three discussions in the audio clip.

Demos is the think tank for everyday democracy. It believes everyone should be able to make personal choices in their daily lives that contribute to the common good.

Demos' aim is to put this democratic idea into practice by working with organisations in ways that make them more effective and legitimate. It focuses on six areas: public services; science and technology; cities and public space; people and communities; arts and culture; and global security.

The British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) is an independent charity based in London which raises awareness and understanding about the importance of human rights. It works for disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in the UK, seeking to ensure that the principles of equality, dignity and respect are incorporated into practice and policy at all levels of public service. The website includes details of programmes, events and training as well as FAQs and external web links.

Policy makers are becoming increasingly concerned with the long term consequences of childhood experiences. This concern is fuelled by the belief that the early years of life are crucial in shaping later life. Catch them young and save society trouble later on, runs the argument. Kenan Malik asks whether policies towards young children are based on reliable scientific evidence or on political claims.

This report from the Social Justice Policy Group, chaired by Iain Duncan Smith, identifies five 'pathways' to poverty and makes proposals for tackling them. These pathways are: educational failure, family breakdown, economic dependence, indebtedness and addictions. A sixth section considers how the third sector might be better supported to help people escape poverty.

This website of the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) is the UK's leading progressive think tank with strong networks in government, academia, corporate and voluntary sectors. They produce policy analysis, reports and publications which play a vital role in maintaining the momentum of progressive thought.

The Runnymede Trust aims to promote a successful multi-ethnic Britain - a Britain where citizens and communities feel valued, enjoy equal opportunities to develop their talents, lead fulfilling lives and accept collective responsibility, all in the spirit of civic friendship, shared identity and a common sense of belonging. They also act as a bridge-builder between various minority ethnic communities and policy-makers.