New Economics Foundation

New Economics Foundation
Name	New Economics Foundation
Formation	1986
Type	Think tank
Headquarters	London
Founders	Donald Hirsch, Clare Short, Robert Skidelsky, James Robertson
Leader title	Director
Leader name	Lorenzo Fioramonti

New Economics Foundation is a British think tank and research institute established in 1986 focused on progressive policy, sustainability, and socio-economic reform. It conducts research, publishes reports, and runs campaigns aimed at reshaping public policy through evidence-based proposals, public engagement, and strategic partnerships. The organisation engages with a range of actors including parliamentary bodies, trade unions, philanthropic foundations, and international NGOs.

History

The organisation was founded by a group including Donald Hirsch, Clare Short, Robert Skidelsky, and James Robertson following debates within the Labour Party and discussions around alternatives to neoliberal policy approaches after the 1979 and 1983 general elections. Early work intersected with networks around Green Party activists, members of Citizens Advice, and researchers associated with Institute for Public Policy Research and Fabian Society. During the 1990s the institute published influential reports that were referenced by committees in the House of Commons and by advisors to ministers in the Tony Blair administration, while maintaining links with campaigners who had been active in the Anti-Poll Tax Federation and climate activism associated with groups like Friends of the Earth and Extinction Rebellion in later decades. Collaborations have involved think tanks such as Demos and international bodies including Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and United Nations Development Programme.

Mission and Principles

The organisation's stated mission bridges research, activism, and policy formation, aligning with principles advanced by figures such as John Maynard Keynes in promoting welfare and redistributive policy, and thinkers like E.F. Schumacher concerning sustainable development. Foundational values echo debates from the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and draw on frameworks similar to those used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Health Organization when addressing wellbeing, climate resilience, and social indicators. The institute emphasizes metrics alternative to traditional national accounting approaches referenced by critics of the Gross Domestic Product concept and uses methodologies informed by scholars associated with Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum on capabilities and wellbeing.

Research and Policy Work

Research outputs span areas such as wellbeing measurement, social justice, climate policy, public finance, and labour market reform, often cited alongside work from Joseph Stiglitz, OECD publications, and reports by the International Monetary Fund. Studies have proposed policy instruments that intersect with institutions like the Bank of England, European Investment Bank, and agencies modelled on frameworks from the World Bank. The institute has produced alternative indicators to those used in reports from the Office for National Statistics and has been referenced by committees including the House of Lords Select Committee on economic affairs. Technical collaborations have involved academics from University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University College London, and University of Cambridge, as well as practitioners tied to Trade Union Congress and British Chambers of Commerce.

Campaigns and Advocacy

Campaign initiatives have targeted policy arenas such as climate action, inequality, public services, and community resilience, coordinating with organisations including Greenpeace, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Shelter. High-profile campaigns have intersected with movements around the Climate Strike (school strike for climate), municipal experiments in Basic income pilots referenced alongside trials in Finland, and localism efforts comparable to projects in Portland, Oregon and Copenhagen. Advocacy has involved briefing MPs across parties including members of Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, and occasional crossbench peers in the House of Lords, as well as engagement with devolved institutions like the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Government.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organisation operates as a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, employing researchers, campaigners, and communications staff organized into thematic teams. Governance includes a board of trustees and advisory panels composed of experts drawn from academia, civil society, and public service, with links to institutions such as Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and advisory relationships with university departments at Queen Mary University of London. Funding sources have historically included philanthropic trusts, charitable foundations, membership contributions, consultancy income, and project grants from bodies like European Commission programmes, foundations associated with Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and international donors comparable to Open Society Foundations and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—while also conducting commissioned work for local authorities and corporations subject to disclosure policies.

Impact and Criticism

The organisation's work has influenced debates on wellbeing measurement, living wage campaigns, and climate finance, and its proposals have been referenced in policy documents from Department for Work and Pensions committees and in debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords. Supporters cite impacts in shaping minimum income discussions alongside unions such as the Trades Union Congress and influencing municipal policy in boroughs of London. Critics from think tanks like Institute of Economic Affairs and commentators associated with The Telegraph and The Spectator have challenged its methodological assumptions, funding transparency, and advocacy stance, while academic critiques have engaged its use of indicators compared with approaches in journals such as The Lancet and Nature Climate Change. Ongoing evaluation occurs through peer engagement with universities and citations in parliamentary inquiries and international reports by bodies including the United Nations.

Category:Think tanks based in the United Kingdom