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

Concerns expressed about support for people who need more help in Provider-led Pathways to Work

People with health conditions that make them ‘harder to help’ may not get the support expected under outcome-based contracts between the government and service providers. This is one of the findings from a recent study of Provider-led Pathways to Work based on qualitative research interviews in four Jobcentre Plus districts.

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More support needed for low-skilled workers to progress into better jobs

Low-skilled workers face a range of barriers to progressing into better pay and conditions, a PSI study led by Kathryn Ray (right) has found.

Examining the work experiences of a group of lone parents and long-term unemployed people over five years, the study found that low-skilled people were more likely to become stuck in a ‘low-pay no-pay cycle’ of temporary jobs, without opportunities for training or promotion. Where progression opportunities were not supported in the workplace, progression was a risky strategy, and many people prioritised work stability – even if poorly paid – over progression into better-paid work.

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New PSI research projects Single Parents’ Work Aspirations More single parents are being asked to move into paid work. But jobs attained by single parents are often low pay and low status. This Big Lottery-funded project, led by Gingerbread and supported by PSI, will investigate diverse single parents’ career aspirations, and develop the design for an employment programme to help them achieve these goals. Read on...

Lecture on innovation policy and the challenge of climate change

Fred Steward, Professor of Innovation and Sustainability at PSI, gave his inaugural lecture on 9 February 2010. Steward argued that for innovation policy to make a real difference it needs a narrative which is more reflective on past experience. The lecture drew on new thinking about innovation in relation to delivery of transformative change and its relevance for a wide diversity of policy actors in the political debates of 2010.

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Understanding social cohesion during
and following recession

A new PSI research project funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and led by Maria Hudson (right) will examine the effects of the current economic downturn on the complex web of relationships - ethnic, faith, gender, generation, class and institutional - that come together in one of Britain's most diverse cities, Bradford.

The research will ask how the recession is bringing the communities together or exacerbating tensions, and what policies can best tackle the long-term consequences for community relationships. The research will be carried out in partnership with the BME third-sector organisation Voice4Change England.

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