Public policy

I’ve recently become more involved in trying to influence public policy. Specifically, I am interested in using research evidence to advocate for and design institutions that foster health in the broadest sense: more people, more of the time, having the capacity to lead lives that they value and have reason to value; in a manner that is humanly and environmentally sustainable. This page provides links to policy initiatives I have been involved in.

Act Now!
Written by the collective the Common Sense Policy Group, which includes me, Act Now! lays out a vision for a progressive and sustainable settlement for the UK for 2024, and should be relevant to other countries too. We present a set of specific policies for welfare, health and social care, education, housing, transport and more, with detailed costings for feasibility as well as evidence of popularity across the political spectrum. Please read it and persuade your elected representatives to read it too.

Treating causes not symptoms: Basic income as a public health measure. (Autonomy/Compass, 2023). This report represents the culmination of a project funded by the National Institute for Health Research to look at the benefits for population health and wellbeing, and hence the economic savings, from ‘upstream’ interventions such as reducing poverty. It brings together a lot of our policy work from the past few years.

Winning the vote with a universal basic income: Evidence from the ‘red wall’ (Compass, 2022)

Challenging the Mental Health Crisis: How Universal Basic Income Can Address Youth Anxiety and Depression (Royal Society of Arts, 2022)