Listen to ippr's conference highlights

Throughout the political party conference season, ippr's fringe events brought together a wide range of informed and influential speakers from across the political spectrum to debate issues from green economics to localism to coalition politics to the future of progressivism. Catch some of the best bits with our conference podcasts.

New report points to investment, jobs, Big Society as keys

Investment, jobs, Big Society are keys for the North

'Rebalancing Local Economies', a new report by ippr North with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and The Northern Way, looks at the key factors in improving the most deprived neighbourhoods across the North, including case studies in Liverpool, Leeds and the Tees Valley.

ippr advocates Child Benefit tax to replace 'undermining' cuts

George Osborne's proposal to axe Child Benefit for every family where one parent earns above £44,000 a year is a crude cut and creates a 'cliff edge' that will hurt middle class families too much. Instead, taxing Child Benefit could provide the same savings in a more graduated, progressive way.

ippr event is highlight of Conservative fringe

Delegates packed an ippr fringe event in Birmingham to hear leading Tory Nick Boles and former Lib Dem leader Ming Campbell agree the Coalition would stick together. But they disagreed on the idea of an electoral pact.

Essay looks at challenges for centre-left

ippr presents a stimulating essay by Tony Wright, Professor of Government and Public Policy at UCL and former MP, which reviews the challenges facing British centre-left politics in the post-Coalition world and concludes ippr's 'Where next for progressive politics?' seminar series.

ippr brings new ideas to Labour's 'new generation' conference

ippr's programme at the Labour conference in Manchester tackled the big economic and political challenges facing the centre-left, with big-name speakers including James Purnell, Liam Byrne and Richard Lambert, Director General of the CBI.

From the heart of British progressive thinking

ippr Director Nick Pearce posts regularly on ideas and issues that matter to our lives, with a public policy focus informed by a career in politics and policymaking and charged with a commitment to the progressive values of democracy, fairness and equality.

ippr helps bring LibDem conference to life

Featuring Simon Hughes MP, Jeremy Browne MP and ippr Director Nick Pearce, ippr's Liberal Democrat conference fringe event drew out some fascinating perspectives on the formation of the Coalition, with the Deputy Leader saying the LibDems had gained an 'extraordinary' amount in negotiations.

ippr launches new research programme

The financial crash provided a powerful wake-up call: all is not well in our economy. ippr's New Era Economics programme will undertake a radical rethink of the UK economy, drawing together the latest economic and progressive thinking to provide a vision of a new economic era.

ippr briefing outlines alternatives

We believe the government deserves credit for confirming that they will end this inhumane and ineffective policy. But ending child detention clearly raises significant challenges which are proving difficult to overcome.

ippr backs localised job services

A new report by ippr shows that despite promising to devolve power, the Coalition government’s flagship welfare-to-work programme does nothing to change one of the most highly centralised welfare systems in the world.

Original analysis and research

The second part of this issue of PPR focuses on the Big Society, led by Maurice Glasman's challenge to the left to engage constructively with Cameron's big idea. Other articles look at social economics, care, justice, localisation and more.

Update on economic activity

House prices are still very high relative to average earnings. That house prices fell so sharply in September might be cause for concern, but an extended period of flat or slowly falling prices would be beneficial for the UK economy.