10 min readFirst edition · Technology & society
The UK is a rainy country — but England is running short of freshwater
Why reservoirs, AI data centres and hosepipe bans are going to demand far more attention as England plans for a possible five-billion-litre-a-day public water deficit by 2055.
Read the analysis →Published
More to read
Should Britain ‘drill, baby, drill’ in the North Sea?
More North Sea production is often presented as a route to cheaper bills, energy security and protected jobs. The reserves, market and workforce evidence point to a more complicated answer.
12 min read →
Policy ideas worth passing on
A publication for finding, testing and explaining the ideas, research and evidence that influence policy decisions.
4 min read →The editorial test
Clear about the evidence.
Honest about the choices.
Thinking About Policy examines the ideas behind UK and international policy decisions: what a proposal is meant to achieve, what the evidence can support, who carries the consequences and what should happen next.
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Topics
Government & democracy
How UK and international decisions are made, justified and scrutinised — from institutions and elections to the gap between policy intent and delivery.
02Public services
Evidence about health, education, welfare, transport, water and the services people depend on every day.
03Technology & society
Artificial intelligence, data and digital systems examined through their real effects on people, places and institutions.
04Work, energy & the economy
What policy choices mean for work, energy security, household costs, productivity and the distribution of risk and opportunity.
The purpose
Useful work deserves to travel further.
This publication finds policy ideas, research and evidence that other people have worked hard to produce, then explains what they show, what they cannot establish and why they may influence a decision.
Read the standards