History & policy database
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.
Ostracism: selection and de-selection in ancient Greece
Introduction One of the very first things that a citizen of a modern western liberal democracy instantly thinks of, when she or he does think about modern western liberal democracy at all, is voting: voting in 'free and fair' elections, one person one vote, everyone counting for one and no one for more than one. […]
Read MoreEmpire and development: the fall of the Roman west
Introduction The Roman empire stretched on one diagonal from Hadrian's Wall to northern Iraq, and, on the other, from the mouth of the Rhine to the Atlas mountains of north Africa. It was the largest state that western Eurasia has ever seen: larger, for instance, than even the enlarged European Union, and certainly dwarfed the […]
Read MoreThe ‘scandal’ of women’s pensions in Britain: how did it come about?
The problem Alan Johnson, secretary of state for work and pensions until the 2005 election, commented shortly before leaving the office on the need for 'radical reform to tackle the scandal of women's pensions'. He was referring to the fact that, in 2005, just 13% of women pensioners were entitled to the full basic state […]
Read MorePolitics and pensions in post-war Britain
Introduction The problem of maintaining incomes in old age has become one of the most urgent political issues facing British policy makers today. It seems now to be generally accepted that we face a major crisis over the next few decades, the product in large part of our ageing population but also of the complexity […]
Read MoreMyths about migration: historical and philosophical perspectives
Introduction Migration is part of the human condition and is a fundamental fact with which political theory must contend. Where economic or other gradients are sufficiently strong, they create what is essentially an 'irresistible force' for migration. In such cases democratic states find it difficult or impossible to stop illegal immigration, if legal immigration is […]
Read MoreHospital governance and community involvement in Britain: evidence from before the National Health S
Introduction An important goal of NHS policy today is to increase public involvement in health care, most notably through the Patient and Public Involvement Forums associated with NHS trusts. In the hospital sector this has led to the controversial establishment of foundation trust 'membership communities', which aim to give local citizens a say in management. […]
Read MoreCurrent and future alcohol policy: the relevance of history
Introduction Alcohol use and alcohol policy have a high profile currently in the UK. Binge drinking and public order; the government alcohol strategy; the new Licensing Act have all brought alcohol more into media and public discussion. The role of history in the debate on alcohol is relatively under-exploited and the historical role of temperance […]
Read MoreIn defence of applied history: the History and Policy website
Introduction Applied history does not stand in good odour with the historical profession. By a longstanding prejudice its practitioners are thought to sacrifice their objectivity as scholars and to flout the accepted norms of historical reasoning. The value of the History & Policy website is that its thirty-six papers report on the practical implications of […]
Read MoreWhen affirmative action was white
Introduction Although no single period can account for why race and class continue to be so closely entwined today, such a critical moment lies just behind us, during the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, when such great progressive national policies as Social Security, protective labor laws, and the GI Bill generated what I […]
Read MoreThe place of history in public life
Introduction I have been asked to say just a few words about the place of history in public life. I have no doubt that this is a topic on which there are important things to be said, but I want to begin with a caution against talking in general terms about 'history' and public life. […]
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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.
