About the Policy Studies Institute

Policy Studies Institute (PSI) is one of Britain's leading research institutes, conducting research to promote economic well-being and improve quality of life. PSI enjoys a reputation for the rigorous and impartial evaluation of policy in the UK and Europe, and the publication and dissemination of research findings is central to our ethos.

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Latest news

Nuclear power: for and against

With the problem of climate change becoming more urgent by the day, the future of power generation in the UK has provoked considerable debate. In February 2009, a number of Britain's leading environmental campaigners publicly declared that they had come round to the view that nuclear power was essential in the effort to combat anthropogenic global warming.

In this exclusive debate, one of those campaigners, PSI Visiting Research Fellow Stephen Tindale, former Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, explains his change of heart. In response, PSI Senior Fellow Emeritus, Mayer Hillman, co-author of How We Can Save the Planet, argues that nuclear power is not the answer.

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The challenge of climate change

On 1 April 2009, PSI formally joined the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages at the University of Westminster. To mark this event, leading environmental campaigner Mayer Hillman spoke on 'The Challenge of Climate Change' in the Main Lecture Theatre at the University's Regent Street campus.

The lecture, now available to listen to online, examined the evidence of the deteriorating condition of the planet and the response of policymakers, offering an alternative view of what must be done to tackle the problem.

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New PSI research projects Older Workers: Expectations, Preferences and Barriers This EHRC-funded project will investigate the relatively under-researched preferences and aspirations of older people in relation to work and other lifestyle choices, the extent to which their decisions are made out of choice or necessity, and what obstacles prevent the pursuit of those preferences. Read on...

Changing attitudes of older workers

In the second in PSI's new series of discussion papers, Michael White (right) examines the assumption that older employees are especially 'loyal' to their employers. There has been little research to establish whether such attitudes have been changing. Using knowledge about recent changes in the labour market, the paper suggests that this position will have been deteriorating relative to younger employees.

This prediction is tested using data from national surveys of employees. The results support the prediction that older employees have become relatively disenchanted with their situation, with their negative feelings aimed at their own employers rather than the general employment situation.

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Canadian academic discusses economics of citizenship

Dr Don DeVoretz is joint editor of a new book that attempts to provide an economic model to predict immigrant ascension to citizenship and its impact on the labour market and the public finance spheres across five countries: Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway.

In his talk at PSI on 11 February, Dr DeVoretz focused on the case of Canada and the implications for immigration and citizenship policy.

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How to improve engagement with local services

A variety of measures have been introduced in recent years to encourage public engagement in local governance. The role played by public officials is important in affecting the extent to which community views can have an influence.

A new PSI report, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is a case study of public engagement in the London borough of Haringey. The research found that most public officials had very positive views and feelings about engagement. However, officials' ability to undertake engagement and act on its outcomes was heavily shaped by organisational context.

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