Policy Network is a London-based centre-left

Centre-left

Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...

 international think tank

Think tank

A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...

. It is leading platform for long-term strategic thinking, policymaking and international best practice, influencing policy debates in the UK, Europe and internationally. Its President is former UK First Secretary of State

First Secretary of State

First Secretary of State is an occasionally used title within the Government of the United Kingdom, principally regarded as purely honorific. The title, which implies seniority over all other Secretaries of State, has no specific powers or authority attached to it beyond that of any other Secretary...

 and EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson

Peter Mandelson

Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...

 and its Chair is Roger Liddle

Roger Liddle

Roger John Liddle, Lord Liddle is a British political adviser and consultant who is principally known for being Special Adviser on European matters to Tony Blair and for working together with Peter Mandelson on books outlining the political philosophy of the Labour Party under Blair's leadership...

, former Special Adviser on European matters to Tony Blair

Tony Blair

Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...

. Olaf Cramme is Director and Patrick Diamond

Patrick Diamond

Patrick Diamond worked as a policy advisor under the Labour Party government of the United Kingdom in a role covering policy and strategy. He was previously a Senior Research Fellow at the International Think Tank Policy Network, where he had been previously the Director. He has previously worked...

 is Senior Research Fellow.

Objectives

Policy Network aims to develop and promote a modern progressive agenda based on the ideas and experiences of social democratic

Social democracy

Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

 modernizers. It argues that in order to meet challenges of globalization

Globalization

Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...

 the centre-left

Centre-left

Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...

 must embark on a process of permanent renewal.

Although primarily concerned with Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, it works with democratic governments internationally, providing a forum for politicians, policymakers and experts to debate and share ideas for the development of the centre-left agenda.

Current work programmes

Policy Network’s core work programmes are:

• The politics of climate change
  Climate change
  Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
  
  
• The future of the EU
• Globalization and social justice
  Social justice
  Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
  
  
• Immigration and integration
• International politics and global governance
• The renewal of social democracy

One of its more prominent research projects in recent years concerned the European Social Model

European social model

The European social model is a term used to describe a common vision many European states have for a society that combines economic growth with high living standards and good working conditions...

, analysing Europe's various models of the welfare state

Welfare state

A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...

.

Recent projects have also included economic and public service reform; migration

Human migration

Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...

, integration and political trust; the role of trade unions in Europe; and mutualism

Mutualism

Mutualism is the way two organisms of different species biologically interact in a relationship in which each individual derives a fitness benefit . Similar interactions within a species are known as co-operation...

 as the left’s answer to the UK coalition government’s big society

Big Society

The Big Society was the flagship policy idea of the 2010 UK Conservative Party general election manifesto. It now forms part of the legislative programme of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement. The aim is "to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building...

 rhetoric.

Progressive Governance Network

The Progressive Governance Network, for which Policy Network acts as the secretariat, brings together centre-left heads of state, governments, politicians and intellectuals from across the world to address the challenges of globalization

Globalization

Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...

. The network's stated goal is to enhance co-operation and links between key progressive policymakers and academics as well as to provide a meeting place for exchanging concrete policies and practices. It was launched in 1999 by Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

, Tony Blair

Tony Blair

Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...

, Gerhard Schroder

Gerhard Schröder

Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...

, Wim Kok

Wim Kok

Willem "Wim" Kok ; born September 29, 1938) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 22, 1994 until July 22, 2002....

 and Massimo D’Alema.

Conferences and summits have been held in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, the UK, the United States, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. Recent participants have included Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...

; US Vice President Joe Biden

Joe Biden

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...

; Director-General of the World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...

, Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, a French political advisor, a businessman, and a former European Commissioner for Trade...

; Michelle Bachelet

Michelle Bachelet

Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...

, the former President of Chile; former UK prime minister Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown

James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...

; and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...

.

The next Progressive Governance conference is to be hosted by Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg

Jens Stoltenberg

is a Norwegian politician, leader of the Norwegian Labour Party and the current Prime Minister of Norway. Having assumed office on 17 October 2005, Stoltenberg previously served as Prime Minister from 2000 to 2001....

 in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 in May 2011.

Foresight

In partnership with the Alfred-Herrhausen-Society, the international forum of Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...

, Policy Network runs Foresight, a three year programme of investigation and debate focused on Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

, the USA, Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, and the challenge these groups of countries face in forging common futures in a multi-polar world.

Website

Policy Network’s website acts as a platform for centre-left debate, with regular contributors including Anthony Giddens

Anthony Giddens

Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens is a British sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern contributors in the field of sociology, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29...

, Michael Lind

Michael Lind

Michael Lind is an American writer. Currently Lind is Policy Director of the Economic Growth Program at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., Editor of New American Contract and its blog Value Added, and a columnist for Salon magazine. Lind was a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School and...

, David Held

David Held

David Held is a British political theorist active in the field of international relations. He will be chair of politics and international relations at Durham University from January 2012 and is currently Graham Wallas Professor of Political Science and co-director of the Centre for the Study of...

, John Kay

John Kay (economist)

John Kay is a leading British business economist of centrist persuasion.Kay was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh University, and Nuffield College, Oxford...

, Andrew Gamble

Andrew Gamble

Andrew Gamble FBA, AcSS, FRSA is a British author and academic. Since January 2007 he has been Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge...

 and James K Galbraith.

The website plays host to Policy Network’s Social Democracy Observatory, a forum for ideas and debate from the progressive centre left, which includes ‘The classics of social democracy’, an essay series in which prominent policymakers revisit seminal texts in centre-left thinking. It also publishes a monthly insight report, The State of the Left, which includes insider analyses of the political climate in a number of countries.

In November 2010 Policy Network launched its opinion poll

Opinion poll

An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...

 tracker, which tracks the fortunes of Europe’s social democratic parties on a cross-comparative basis.

Board Members

Susan Hitch: Manager of Lord Sainsbury of Turville's pro bono programme, a Governor of the Institute for Government

Institute for Government

The Institute for Government is an United Kingdom independent charity that aims to improve government effectiveness created in 2008. It was initially funded with about £15 million by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, at the instigation of Lord David Sainsbury.....

 and board member of Centre for Cities

Centre for Cities

The Centre for Cities is a charity registered in England.The Centre for Cities describes itself as an independent, non-partisan urban policy research unit...

, Progress

Progress (organisation)

Progress is a political organisation linked to the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1996. It is broadly viewed as supportive of the leadership of the party, being pro-former leader Tony Blair...

 and the Centre for European Reform

Centre for European Reform

The Centre for European Reform is a London-based think tank which supports European integration while arguing for institutional reform of the European Union...

.

Patrick Diamond

Patrick Diamond

Patrick Diamond worked as a policy advisor under the Labour Party government of the United Kingdom in a role covering policy and strategy. He was previously a Senior Research Fellow at the International Think Tank Policy Network, where he had been previously the Director. He has previously worked...

: Senior research fellow at Policy Network and former head of long-term policy in the UK Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. Formerly group director of policy at the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Matt Browne: Fellow at the Center for American Progress

Center for American Progress

The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...

, previously director of public affairs in APCO Worldwide

APCO Worldwide

APCO Worldwide is an independent communications consultancy. With more than 600 employees in 29 worldwide locations, it is the second largest independently-owned PR firm in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO was founded in 1984 by Margery Kraus, who is now the firm’s global...

’s London office.

Giles Radice: Labour

Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

 member of the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

, formerly Labour member of parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for North Durham

North Durham (UK Parliament constituency)

North Durham is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

 1972-2001.

Loukas Tsoukalis: President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy is an independent, non-profit Greek institute that does policy-oriented research and training...

 (ELIAMEP) and special adviser to Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission

European Commission

The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

.

Jürgen Krönig: UK correspondent for German weekly Die Zeit

Die Zeit

Die Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...

and freelance author for various publications and TV in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 and the UK.

Tibor Szanyi: Socialist member of the Hungarian parliament

National Assembly of Hungary

The National Assembly or Diet is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter list members...

 and former Political State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Economy and Transport.

Liam Byrne

Liam Byrne

Liam Dominic Byrne is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004, and was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2009 to 2010 before being appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 20 January 2011.-Early...

: Labour member of parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill and shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Recent publications

• Southern Discomfort Again, Patrick Diamond and Giles Radice, 2010
• 'Cause for concern? The impact of immigration on political trust', Lauren McLaren, 2010
• Jobs, industry and opportunity: Growth strategies after the crisis, 2010
• 'Old player, new role? India in a multi-polar world', Priya Shankar, 2010
• 'What’s the story? Nation-building narratives in Australian climate politics', David Hetherington and Tim Soutphommasane, 2010
• 'Migration and the rise of the radical right', Montserrat Guibernau, 2010
• Beyond New Labour: the future of social democracy in Britain, Patrick Diamond and Roger Liddle (eds.), 2009
• Building a low-carbon future: the politics of climate change, Anthony Giddens, Simon Latham and Roger Liddle, 2009
• Social Justice in the Global Age, Olaf Cramme and Patrick Diamond, 2009
• Shifting Alliances: Europe, America and the future of Britain's global strategy, Patrick Diamond, 2008
• The European Union in the Global Age, Peter Mandelson, 2007
• Over To You, Mr Brown, Anthony Giddens, 2007

Partner thinktanks

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

European Policy Centre

European Policy Centre

The European Policy Centre is a Brussels-based not-for-profit think tank on European Union affairs, founded in 1996. It is committed to making European integration work and to promoting discussion and wider reflection on the issues facing the EU now and the challenges which lie ahead.The EPC aims...

Progressive Policy Institute

Progressive Policy Institute

The Progressive Policy Institute is a think tank in the United States, founded in 1989 which styles itself as promoting the ideas of "New Democrats." It covers a very wide range of issues and describes itself as centrist, although progressive critics frequently describe it as conservative,...

Wiardi Beckman Stichting

Wiardi Beckman Stichting

The Wiardi Beckman Stichting is a Dutch think tank linked to the left-of-center Labour Party .The foundation is named after Herman Bernard Wiardi Beckman, a member of the Dutch Senate, who during the Second World War was summoned by Queen Wilhelmina to become a member of the war cabinet, but who...

Foundation for Progressive European Studies

External links

Policy Network

Progressive Governance Network

Social Democracy Observatory

Foresight