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| The Resolution Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Resolution Foundation |
| Formation | 2005 |
| Type | Research institute |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Leader title | Director |
| Leader name | David Willetts |
The Resolution Foundation is a British independent think tank established in 2005 that focuses on living standards, income distribution and public policy for low-to-middle income households. It produces research, analysis and recommendations designed to influence policy debates in the United Kingdom and engages with institutions across Westminster, Whitehall and civic society. The foundation collaborates with academic centres, charities and international organisations to inform debates about welfare, taxation and labour markets.
The foundation was created amid debates involving Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Labour Party policy reviews and fiscal debates following the 2001 United Kingdom general election, inspired by analyses from Institute for Fiscal Studies, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Centre for Social Justice. Early trustees included figures connected to Alan Milburn, Ed Miliband, Iain Duncan Smith-era welfare discussions and cross-party initiatives. It rose to prominence during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and the 2009 United Kingdom budget controversies, contributing to debates around austerity measures advocated by George Osborne and examined by commentators at Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, and broadcasters like BBC News and Channel 4 News.
The foundation aims to improve living standards for low-to-middle income groups through evidence-based proposals that intersect with policy areas governed by HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions, Office for Budget Responsibility, and UK Parliament committees. Its objectives include analysing tax and benefit systems influenced by legislation such as the Finance Act series, assessing labour market trends shaped by institutions like ACAS, and informing debates involving unions such as Trades Union Congress and employers including Confederation of British Industry.
Research outputs come from teams with expertise connected to universities and research centres like London School of Economics, University College London, Oxford University, Cambridge University, King's College London and international bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Labour Organization. Publications cover topics referenced against data from Office for National Statistics, House of Commons Library, Bank of England, and Institute for Public Policy Research analyses. Reports are routinely cited alongside work by Resolution Foundation's peers including Policy Exchange, Institute for Government, Chatham House, New Economics Foundation, Fabian Society, Institute of Economic Affairs, Demos, Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, European Commission, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund.
The foundation has informed policy negotiations in Westminster involving leaders from Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), and Liberal Democrats (UK), contributing evidence used in debates before the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee and the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. Its analyses have been referenced in speeches by figures such as Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and during campaigns by Jeremy Corbyn. The foundation's work has intersected with reforms considered by Nesta, pilot schemes with Citizens Advice, and consultations led by Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Governance includes a board of trustees with links to academia, finance and philanthropy, involving individuals previously associated with organisations like Barclays, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Big Society Capital, Wellcome Trust, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and philanthropic donors linked to Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. Funding sources historically include charitable grants, research contracts from bodies like European Social Fund and foundation support paralleled to donors cited in analyses by Charity Commission for England and Wales and scrutiny in outlets such as The Independent and New Statesman.
Prominent reports have addressed household budgets during the 2010s, examined welfare reforms associated with Universal Credit, assessed living standards after the COVID-19 pandemic, and modelled scenarios relevant to the Brexit economic transition. Reports have been discussed alongside evidence from Resolution Foundation's counterparts at Tax Justice Network, Centre for European Reform, IPPR North, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Social Mobility Commission, Behavioural Insights Team, and international comparisons with OECD country data.
Critiques have come from ideological opponents including analysts at Institute of Economic Affairs, journalists at Daily Telegraph, and political figures who question methodology during debates in Parliament and commentary from think tanks such as Adam Smith Institute. Debates have centred on assumptions compared with datasets from Office for National Statistics and differing interpretations with scholars at LSE and Cambridge University. Discussion has also addressed funding transparency examined in investigative pieces by outlets like The Times and Guardian Media Group.
Category:Think tanks based in the United Kingdom