Latest Publications
Public Services
Strong public services are vital in a social market economy, but what they deliver matters much more than who delivers it. Our work is about understanding how to reform and modernise those services to deliver the greatest benefit to society.
Latest Publications:
Publication
Beveridge Rebooted: Social security for a networked age
This series of essays explores the crisis of legitimacy in working age welfare. It examines the policy options for what to do about financial support for the unemployed.
| Published: | 15 August 2013 |
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| Author(s): | Ian Mulheirn, Jeff Masters, John Hutton |
Publication
Responses to ‘Paying for Results?’
Responses to the Social Market Foundation's 'Paying for Results?' briefing paper
| Published: | 09 August 2013 |
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Publication
SMF Briefing: Paying for results? Rethinking probation reform
This briefing note examines the detailed proposals for the all-important payment by results aspect of the scheme. The analysis shows that the proposed payment regime creates perverse incentives such that providers risk making losses if they seek to cut reoffending. The paper offers solutions to the problems identified that would improve incentives on providers and offer much better value for money to the taxpayer.
| Published: | 09 August 2013 |
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| Author: | Ian Mulheirn |
Publication
Risky Business: Social Impact Bonds and public services
Social Impact Bonds are an innovative way of commissioning public services. Private or philanthropic investors provide the upfront finance, with government only paying them a return if and once social outcomes are achieved. However, the number of Social Impact Bonds currently underway is small, and our analysis finds that they are unlikely to appeal to mainstream investors unless some major hurdles can be overcome.
| Published: | 31 July 2013 |
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| Author(s): | Ian Mulheirn, Nigel Keohane, Ryan Shorthouse |
Publication
SMF Briefing: Spending Review 2013
This briefing looks at the scale of cuts being made to current spending at the June 2013 Spending Review in the context of the entire fiscal consolidation, and shows that despite the difficulties of making the £11.5bn of cuts required, this Spending Review represents only a fraction of the remaining £33bn consolidation needed to get the public finances back on track by 2018.
| Published: | 24 June 2013 |
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| Author: | Social Market Foundation |
Publication
SMF Briefing: Making the Cap fit – the Implications of an AME spending limit
At the Budget the Chancellor announced his intention to set a limit on a significant proportion of public spending in order to tackle the 'growth of spending on welfare benefits' in the years ahead. This paper explores the implications of such a cap for pensions and working age welfare.
| Published: | 08 April 2013 |
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| Author: | Ian Mulheirn |
Publication
A Future State of Mind: Facing up to the dementia challenge
This report draws on in-depth interviews with people with Alzheimer's and their carers and a wealth of research to identify the barriers to early diagnosis, from a patient and professional perspective.
| Published: | 12 December 2012 |
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| Author(s): | Nigel Keohane, Ryan Shorthouse, Nida Broughton |
Publication
Fiscal Fallout: The challenge ahead for public spending and public services
This new analysis shows that the Coalition’s plans require much greater spending cuts or tax rises than were implied even at the last Budget, to get the public finances back on track after 2014.
| Published: | 12 November 2012 |
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| Author(s): | Ian Mulheirn, Nida Broughton, Ben Lucas, Henry Kippin |
Publication
Sink or Swim? The impact of the Universal Credit
Based on interviews with low-income families, this report examines the impact of the new Universal Credit on households' financial resilience and proposes an innovative reform.
| Published: | 17 September 2012 |
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| Author(s): | Nigel Keohane, Ryan Shorthouse |