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.
The ‘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 Service
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. […]
Read MoreHealth and Wealth
From a human health perspective the process of rapid economic growth needs to be understood as a profoundly disruptive and uncertain process. Public health information is essential for controlling the most challenging aspects, but is so often lacking in poor countries. Another key to managing health and environmental problems created by economic and demographic growth is strong representative and resourced local government and civic society, incentivised but not simply directed to act by the central state. History also shows that to be effective, policies require strategies for time horizons of at least 20-30 years, not 5-year electoral cycles.
Read MoreIdentity cards in Britain: past experience and policy implications
Introduction The Identity Project: an Assessment of the UK Identity Cards Bill and its Implications, produced at the London School of Economics (LSE), is one of the most exhaustive analyses of a contemporary policy proposal carried out by social scientists in recent decades. Exhaustive – except from one perspective: history. British identity card systems have […]
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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.
