Resolution Foundation

Resolution Foundation
Name	Resolution Foundation
Formation	2005
Type	Independent think tank
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Leader title	Chief Executive
Leader name	Torsten Bell
Focus	Living standards, low-to-middle income households, UK public policy

Resolution Foundation is an independent British think tank established in 2005 that focuses on the living standards of low- to middle-income households in the United Kingdom. It produces empirical research, policy proposals and public commentary on taxation, social security, housing, wages and public services. The organisation seeks to influence parliamentary debate, media coverage and policy making in Westminster, Holyrood, Cardiff Bay and Stormont through evidence-based analysis and targeted recommendations.

History

The organisation was founded in 2005 by Gordon Brown-era advisers and figures from the philanthropic and policy sectors, including links to Joseph Rowntree Foundation-associated networks and senior figures with experience at HM Treasury, No. 10 Downing Street and the National Audit Office. Early work built on contemporary debates sparked by the 2008 financial crisis, the Great Recession and reforms associated with the Labour Party (UK). Over the 2010s it expanded staff and research capacity, recruiting economists and policy experts from institutions such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, London School of Economics, University of Oxford and University College London. It rose to visibility around the time of high-profile UK policy events including the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the Brexit referendum (2016), and the fiscal pressures following the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Organisation and Funding

The organisation is governed by a board of trustees with experience drawn from the Bank of England, private philanthropy, the Trades Union Congress, the Confederation of British Industry and academia. Its senior team has included figures who previously worked at HM Treasury, the Institute for Government, Office for National Statistics and leading universities. Funding is a mixture of charitable grants, philanthropic donations from foundations such as the Nuffield Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and project-specific support from bodies including Barrow Cadbury Trust and corporate partners; it publishes summaries of major funders to meet transparency norms encouraged by Charity Commission for England and Wales guidance. The organisation operates research programmes based in London and maintains links with devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Research and Policy Work

The think tank’s research covers taxation, benefits, work incentives, regional disparities, housing affordability and wages. Researchers use microsimulation models, tax-benefit calculators and longitudinal survey datasets such as the Understanding Society (UK) survey, the Family Resources Survey and data from HM Revenue and Customs and the Office for National Statistics. It publishes working papers, briefings, policy proposals and interactive tools aimed at parliamentarians, journalists and civil servants in UK Parliament committees, select committees and Whitehall departments. It collaborates with external partners including the Resolution Foundation Pension Commission (a cross-sector initiative), academic departments at the University of Cambridge and University of Manchester, trade unions like Unite the Union and business groups such as the Confederation of British Industry on specific projects.

Key Reports and Findings

Major reports have examined trends in real wages, the effect of tax and benefit changes on low-income households, intergenerational fairness and housing market dynamics. Notable publications investigated wage growth stagnation following the 2008 financial crisis, distributional impact analyses of the Austerity in the United Kingdom policy package, and the implications of Brexit for regional incomes. The organisation’s analysis of living standards highlighted the squeeze on working-age households versus pensioners, drawing on comparisons with datasets produced by Department for Work and Pensions and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Reports on housing affordability assessed planning, mortgage markets and supply-side constraints with reference to the Help to Buy scheme and the Right to Buy policy history. Its pension-focused work engaged with debates on the State Pension (UK) and automatic enrolment into workplace pensions.

Influence on UK Policy and Public Debate

Through evidence syntheses and accessible briefings, the institution has influenced debates in Westminster Hall debates, select committees and party manifestos for the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK) and Liberal Democrats (UK). Journalists in outlets such as The Guardian (UK), Financial Times and The Times frequently cite its findings, and its models have been used by MPs, peers and civil servants when assessing the distributional effects of fiscal measures introduced in Autumn Statement and Budget of the United Kingdom. It has provided oral and written evidence to parliamentary inquiries, fed into local authority commissions on housing in cities like London and Manchester, and contributed to public panels convened by universities and charities.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques have addressed perceived political proximity, methodological choices in microsimulation modelling and the interpretation of distributional statistics. Opponents from think tanks such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and commentators aligned with the Adam Smith Institute have questioned assumptions behind earnings projections and tax incidence estimates. Some stakeholders argued that funding from philanthropic foundations could create implicit bias, prompting scrutiny from media outlets and calls for greater disclosure consistent with standards advocated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Debates over tax-benefit modeling assumptions have unfolded in academic journals and parliamentary evidence sessions involving academics from University of Sussex and University of Warwick.

Category:Think tanks based in the United Kingdom