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.
Why history matters
Introduction This is a book about the practical rationale of historical knowledge in contemporary Britain. To a considerable extent it was inspired – and indeed made possible – by the material which History & Policy has placed in the public domain over the past five years. In the book I make explicit the assumptions about […]
Read MoreTorture and intelligence gathering in Western democracies
Calder Walton examines the history of intelligence gathering and argues that using torture in interrogation produces unreliable evidence and is ultimately counter-productive for intelligence gathering.
Read MoreThe ‘credit crunch’ and the importance of trust
Geoffrey Hosking puts the current financial crisis in historical context and shows that it can be understood as a stage in a cycle of trust. He suggests that the best solution is to broaden and democratise the exercise of trust, to ensure that the benefits of globalisation are shared with developing countries.
Read MoreHow to talk about redistribution: a historical perspective
Ben Jackson's paper shows how politicians can talk about economic redistribution without scaring voters, by drawing on the speeches of progressive leaders of the past.
Read MoreHosepipes, history and a sustainable future
Introduction On 11 July 1921, a Metropolitan Water Board inspector noticed water pouring down the gutter of a Belgravia mews. On closer investigation, he found a chauffeur, Joseph Gorton, washing a car with 'a hose-pipe … thrown down by the side of it, the water still running'. The water 'was allowed to run to waste', […]
Read MoreStereotypes and the state: Britain’s travellers past and present
Introduction One summer in the mid-1990s I was living close to a council estate on the outskirts of Weymouth, when a group of Travellers arrived and parked up on some nearby waste ground. The frenzy of vilification – ranging from shouting abuse and throwing stones at the trailers by local residents to stories of theft, […]
Read MoreHistory and hyperactivity: the Feingold diet
Introduction In 1974 a self-help book written by Ben F. Feingold (1899-1982) entitled Why Your Child is Hyperactive arrived on the shelves of book stores across North America. On the surface, Feingold's book was not particularly exceptional. By the mid 1970s hyperactivity (known today as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD) was the most commonly diagnosed childhood […]
Read MoreDoctors in Whitehall: medical advisers at the 60th anniversary of the NHS
Sally Sheard's History & Policy paper on Doctors in Whitehall was discussed in Society Guardian.
Read MoreRegulating UK supermarkets: an oral-history perspective
Introduction The possible tightening of regulation of supermarket retailing through competition legislation and town planning has become a prominent issue for policy makers and communities. In the past five years, the debate has intensified. The growth of large supermarkets is seen by some to have led to the decay of the high street and has […]
Read MoreSocial housing and tenant participation
Peter Shapely's new History & Policy paper on Social Housing and Tenant Participation shows that tenants must be involved in planning social housing, if the problems of the past are not to be repeated.
Read More
News RSS Feed
How to Use RSS Feeds
To subscribe to the History & Policy News feed in your feed reader, copy the URL and paste it in your RSS Aggregator.
COPY URL TO RSS READER
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.
