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.
The past and future of the NHS: New Labour and foundation hospitals
Introduction New Labour has had to come to terms with the party's previous history. Nationalised and centralised institutions such as the National Health Service (NHS), once praised as crowning glories of previous Labour administrations are now seen as problematic for the party. Many of New Labour's policies are as much about distancing themselves from 'old' […]
Read MoreIraq, past, present and future: a thoroughly-modern mandate?
Introduction The fertile land between the Tigris and the Euphrates has inspired some of the most important developments in human history including the invention of the wheel, the planting of the first cereal crops and the development of cursive script. Mesopotamia was known as the cradle of civilisation and today's Iraqis are the product of […]
Read MoreMedical science and public policy: handling uncertainty, managing transparency
Introduction Rather crudely one might say that scientific experts seek to reduce uncertainty, while stakeholders and the public aspire to learn the 'truth'. The problem with scientific endeavour is that its method, while powerful, requires very careful control of variable parameters during the investigation of the problem, while life has an altogether more messy feel […]
Read MoreIn search of security: earnings-related pensions in Britain and Europe
Introduction British pensions are in a sorry state. Pensions for the post-war baby boom generation, soon to move into retirement, are looking increasingly insecure. Prospects for later generations are little better. The problem is worst for women, whose longer lives and interrupted careers mean lower savings and a greater threat of poverty in later life. […]
Read MoreDon’t expect democracy this time: Japan and Iraq
Introduction Starting in the autumn of 2002, we began to hear that U.S. policymakers were looking into Japan and Germany after World War II as examples or even models of successful military occupations. In the case of Japan, the imagined analogy with Iraq is probably irresistible. Although Japan was nominally occupied by the victorious 'Allied […]
Read MoreThe real lesson for developing countries from the history of the developed world: ‘freedom to choos
Introduction The last two decades have been a bad time for the developing countries. Their average annual per capita income growth rate has been halved (from 3% to 1.5%) between the 1960-80 period and the 1980-2000 period. In particular, Latin America has virtually stopped growing, while Sub-Saharan Africa and most ex-Communist countries have experienced a […]
Read MoreFinancing health care in Britain since 1939
Caveats All discussions of the NHS come with appropriate health warnings. In this context, there are five: NHS does not stand for a national hospital service. A fixation on e.g. waiting lists distorts analysis. The NHS is not synonymous with health care. Health outcomes can typically be better improved by expenditure on other services (e.g. […]
Read MoreWorld trade and world disease
The strange reversal of official British medical policy on cholera in India in 1868 At a time when the Non-West, and particularly the Muslim world, has become distrustful of policy initiatives put forward by the UK and the US, it is important to join historians in examining earlier policies which – in Non-Western eyes – […]
Read MoreEquality and incentive: fiscal politics from Gladstone to Brown
The Gladstonian tradition The approach adopted by Gladstone in his great budget of 1853, building on the budget of Peel of 1842 which had reintroduced the income tax, was that the fiscal system should not change the existing structure of society: it should follow the principle of proportionality, that is extracting the same proportion of […]
Read MoreTrade unions: a foundation of political pluralism?
Introduction Even now, in the second term of 'New Labour' in government, British trade unions are at a low point, in terms of both their membership and their wider political standing. Their image is still dominated by the catch-phrase of 'the block vote', with its sinister overtones of a united mass, constantly blocking progress both […]
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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.
