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Institute for Public Policy Research

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is a UK think-tank with strong ties to the Labour party that claims to produce progressive ideas committed to upholding values of social justice, democratic reform and environmental sustainability. IPPR is based in London and also has a branch in Newcastle, IPPR North.

It was founded in 1988. The founding director was James Cornford. The institute has also been led by Gerald Holtam, Matthew Taylor, now Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts, and Nick Pearce, a former special advisor to David Blunkett MP. Former members of staff include Patricia Hewitt, David Miliband and Tristram Hunt. The current co-directors are Lisa Harker and Carey Oppenheim, on a job share basis.

The Institute edits a quarterly journal called Public Policy Research (formerly New Economy), published by Blackwell, which features articles from academics and politicians.

Policy areas

The institute undertakes research in the following areas:

Assets and wealth
Children and families
Climate change and environment
Crime and justice
Democracy, power and citizenship
Economy and business
Education
Health and social care

Housing
International, security and human rights
Media, culture and sport
Migration and integration
Political ideas
Transport
Welfare and poverty

Influential research

In the mid-1990s, the IPPR was best known for its Commission on Social Justice, which provided the basis for many of the policies of the New Labour government that came to power in 1997, including the New Deal. Child Trust Funds were first conceived by the IPPR in 2000, and were subsequently adopted by the government in 2005.

Recent publications of note include: Freedom's Orphans, Brits Abroad, Darfur: The Responsibility to Protect, and Steering Through Change.

In 2005, the IPPR published a report mapping recent immigration to the UK, drawing on data from the 2001 Census The report received considerable media attention, and was used as the basis for a BBC mini-site called 'Born abroad', on which the result were made available interactively.