Policy Papers
History & Policy papers are written by expert historians, based on peer-reviewed research. They offer historical insights into current policy issues ranging from Afghanistan and Iraq, climate change and internet surveillance to family dynamics, alcohol consumption and health reforms. For historians interested in submitting a paper, please see the editorial guidelines.
Currently, 252 papers are freely searchable by theme, author or keyword, with new papers published regularly. Where possible, we publish papers to coincide with relevant policy developments. If you are a policy maker, civil society practitioner or journalist and would like to contact one of our historians, please contact [email protected].
You can download H&P policy papers directly from the Apple iBooks store to your iPhone, iPad or Mac. We also have an Amazon Kindle version to download to your PC for transfer to your Kindle via USB cable. Please consult your Kindle manual for further details.
Unequal Britain: equalities in Britain since 1945
Introduction As the Equality Bill goes through parliament we should reflect on why it is now possible for a government credibly to propose a statutory duty on public authorities to address the inequalities experienced by members of their workforce and the communities due to their gender, race, religion, age disability, sexual orientation or socio-economic difference, […]
Read MoreThe ‘Idea of a University’ today
The Robbins report and the Oxbridge model In 1963, the report of the Robbins committee on higher education proclaimed the 'Robbins principle', that university places should be available to all who were qualified for them by ability and attainment. The report also discussed the nature of higher education, and defined four 'objectives essential to any […]
Read MoreThe legal profession and social activism: the Italian ‘long 1968’
Introduction There is a tendency today to recount the history of the modern professions in terms of a perennial struggle of groups and individuals committed to improving their social status, increasing their income, and strengthening their position of power in society. According to this interpretation, professionals are members of the establishment who act on the […]
Read MoreThe Osborne Judgement of 1909: Trade Union funding of political parties in historical perspective
Introduction There is nothing in the Trade Union Acts from which it can reasonably be inferred that trade unions as defined by Parliament were meant to have the power of collecting and administering funds for political purposes. House of Lords, 21 December, 1909 With this ruling, the Law Lords struck down a practice which […]
Read MoreHow (not) to cut government spending and reduce public sector debt
Introduction This has been the year in which 'cuts' became the mainstay of political rhetoric. The leaders of both main Opposition parties, David Cameron for the Conservatives and Nick Clegg for the Liberal Democrats, made the reduction of Britain's national debt the centrepiece of their party conference speeches in the autumn of 2009. Mr Clegg […]
Read MoreThe 1909 budget and the destruction of the unwritten constitution
King, Lords, and people: the first phase The General Election of 1906 marked one of the largest swings to the left in British democratic history. At the previous General Election in 1900, the Conservatives – then known as Unionists – had won 402 seats; the Liberals 186 (if the two Labour members are counted with […]
Read MoreRemember Cable Street? Wrong battle, mate
Introduction When Communities Secretary John Denham recently compared the recent anti-Muslim disturbances in north London to fascist attacks on British Jews in the 1930s he fell into a familiar trap. The analogy, while superficially seductive, is ill-informed and unhelpful. The causes of friction between the far right and Muslims in this country (and in other […]
Read MoreHistory of tax havens
Introduction Tax havens are increasingly attracting attention today because of the sheer size of the phenomenon. Although reliable data on tax havens is still difficult to come by, the Bank of International Settlement (BIS) quarterly statistics showed that since the early 1980s about half of all international banking assets and liabilities were routed through offshore […]
Read MoreUpgrading Britain’s nuclear deterrent: from V-Bombers to Trident replacement
Introduction The debate about upgrading Britain's nuclear deterrent has intensified over the last few years. In December 2006, the Labour Government announced in a White Paper, The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent, that they would replace the submarines that carry Britain's deterrent (the 'Vanguard' class) when they begin to leave service in the […]
Read MoreNorth Korea and the nuclear threat
Introduction In April 2009 North Korea fired a long-distance three-stage rocket. Although Pyongyang insisted that this was merely a satellite, it proceeded to expel United Nations weapons inspectors from its main reactor at Yongbyon. The following month, it successfully exploded a plutonium-based nuclear device similar in size to that dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. When […]
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About Us
H&P is based at the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, University of London.
We are the only project in the UK providing access to an international network of more than 500 historians with a broad range of expertise. H&P offers a range of resources for historians, policy makers and journalists.
