Projects
BROWSE OUR CURRENT AND PAST RESEARCH PROJECTS
Our projects
Demos' projects are organised by programme area. We have five core research programmes: Family and Society, Violence and Extremism, Public Interest, Political Economy and Public Finance. Our Political Ideas are explored through Open Left and the Progressive Conservatism Project.
The Character Inquiry: Call for evidence
Jen LexmondDemos is issuing a call to evidence for it's work on The Character Inquiry.
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The Character Inquiry
Jen Lexmond, Matt Grist, Dom LongfordA growing body of evidence shows that character is the most important factor in determining life chances. The Character Inquiry brings together research leaders and experts to explore how developing character skills can be encouraged in public and private life.
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The Way We Live Now
Julia MargoDemos is exploring how lifestyles in Britain have changed in the past few decades and what it is that make our modern lives unique.
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Open Left
Richard Darlington, Alan Lockey, Zaki Nahaboo, Aaron Peters, Joe CowardOpen Left is about rediscovering the Left's idealism, pluralism and appetite for radical ideas. It starts by asking an essential, but contested question: what does it mean to be on the Left today?
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Economic Literacy
Dan Leighton, Jen LexmondThe health of the economy has a profound effect on our lives. Too often, however, the economy is experienced as something that happens to us, rather than something we are part of. Few speak the language of the ‘dismal science’, and this impacts negatively on our democratic public life. Demos’ Economic Literacy project will probe this ‘democratic deficit’ in economic life.
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The Home Front
Jen Lexmond, Julia Margo, Louise Bazalgette, Dom LongfordFollowing on from our publication Building Character on parenting and early years, Demos is building the case for ‘character’ as the key to life chances.
MoreFamily and Society
Focusing on how public policy can be better designed to give people and families more power over their lives, this programme brings together research into parenting, ageing and the impact of social change on young people. Led by Celia Hannon, our projects are based on expert analysis of trends, innovative research methods and a progressive vision of social change.
Access All Areas
Eugene Grant, Julia Margo, Dom LongfordThis project explores how pre-work training can improve life chances for young people, particularly disadvantaged groups.
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Through the Looking Glass
Julia MargoThis project will investigate the causes and the implications of a perceived decline in confidence and well-being amongst young women and girls.
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At Your Service II
Claudia WoodDemos will build on its research on personal budgets in providing health and social care through this project, continuing the work reported in At Your Service.
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How Britain Dies
Charles Leadbeater, Jake GarberThis project examines how death can be a less clinical, more personal and more positive experience.
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Learning to make (and) do
Charlie Tims, Celia HannonThis project gathers ideas from across the cultural world on how to support the development of creative capabilities.
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Measuring Capabilities
Matt GristThis report pilots a set of tools to measure the difference that structured activities make to a young person's capabilities.
MorePublic Interest
Decades of policymaking framed around consumer choice and economic growth have left those formulating policy unsure on how best to balance public and private interests. Led by Dan Leighton, our work in this area seeks to understand the public interest and determine what implications it has for relationships between the state, citizens, business and civil society.
The Future of Work
William Davies, John KnellThe project will explore the possibilities for a new politics of work.
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Economic Literacy
Dan Leighton, Jen LexmondThe health of the economy has a profound effect on our lives. Too often, however, the economy is experienced as something that happens to us, rather than something we are part of. Few speak the language of the ‘dismal science’, and this impacts negatively on our democratic public life. Demos’ Economic Literacy project will probe this ‘democratic deficit’ in economic life.
MoreViolence and Extremism
The last decade has seen a rapid growth in extremist and violent behaviours. There are growing incidences of gang membership, gun and knife crime, religious and political radicalism, and violence motivated by intolerance of others. Led by Jamie Bartlett, our work on violence and extremism seeks to understand what drives such behaviour.
Legal Highs
Jonathan Birdwell, Jake ChapmanDemos is looking at how government can approach new harmful chemical substances, or 'legal highs', in an effective way.
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On the edge of violence?
Jamie Bartlett, Jonathan BirdwellThis project looks at the relationship between violent and non-violent radicalisation by mapping the flow of ideas, people and money through violent and non-violent radical groups.
MorePolitical Ideas
Alongside and connected with the five core research themes, Demos has two political projects focused on renewing the ideas within political traditions.
Open Left
Richard Darlington, Alan Lockey, Zaki Nahaboo, Aaron Peters, Joe CowardOpen Left is about rediscovering the Left's idealism, pluralism and appetite for radical ideas. It starts by asking an essential, but contested question: what does it mean to be on the Left today?
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Political Economy
In the wake of the financial crisis, government has the opportunity to review the type of economy we want to have and examine the impact it has on our lives. Led by Kitty Ussher, our work on political economy will inform the policy development of all political parties as they seek to restructure the economy.
City Limits
Kitty UssherThis project will investigate how the City can be reformed without damaging the UK's long-term competitiveness.
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Good Growth
Kitty UssherThe financial crisis exposed serious flaws in the UK's economic policy. The Good Growth project looks at how Government can address these flaws and build an economy that is financially, socially and environmentally sustainable.
MorePublic Finance
The Coalition Government is facing the most significant fiscal challenges of postwar Britain. Led by Sonia Sodha, our work on public finance will interrogate how the radical action needed to rebalance the budget can be undertaken without abandoning progressive goals.
Advising Ambition
Eugene Grant, Sonia Sodha, Jonathan BirdwellThis project will focus on school-to-work transition: how our education and training systems are preparing young people for employment.
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Multi-dimensional poverty
Sonia Sodha, William Bradley, Kitty Ussher
In 2010, Demos is launching a flagship programme of work to develop a new, multi-dimensional measure of poverty that will take into account the full range of factors that affect quality of life and wellbeing.
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