Reform (think tank)
Encyclopedia
Reform is a British
centre-right, liberal
, think tank
based in London
, whose declared mission is to set out a better way to deliver public services and economic prosperity via private sector involvement and market de-regulation. Reform describes itself as independent and non-partisan. It was founded in 2001 by Nick Herbert
(now a Conservative
MP
) and Andrew Haldenby
(former head of the Political Section in the Conservative Research Department
).
(now a Conservative
MP
) and Andrew Haldenby
(former head of the Political Section in the Conservative Research Department
). Reform's research and policy work is conducted by a charity, the Reform Research Trust, which is also a private company limited by guarantee. Campaigning is conducted by Reform Britain which is a not-for-profit organisation. Reform is a member of the Stockholm Network
.
Reform had an income of just under £1m in 2009. Corporate donors ("partners", donating over £7500) include General Healthcare Group (GHG), KPMG
and GlaxoSmithKline
. Reform says of its "Corporate Partnership Programme" of corporate links that it
Reform publishes reports on a variety of different issues, adopting what it considers to be an evidence-based approach to public policy. Its publications are always heavily populated with figures and tables. It has published most recently on the long-term future of the NHS, Britain's regional economic performance, the economic position of young people
, and on the tax and welfare system. It has also produced research that claims to show that the extra spending on public services between 2000 and 2006 has not shifted the trend performance of those services.
A much-cited 2008 reform report into the decline of mathematics
in the UK has received criticism in The Guardian
newspaper for itself employing poor use of mathematics.
Reform states that its vision is of a Britain with 21st Century healthcare, high standards in schools, a modern and efficient transport system, safe streets and a free, dynamic and competitive economy. Reform argues that in the longer term public spending should be reduced to the levels of Ireland and Australia (around 35% of GDP), and tax reduced so individuals can invest in themselves providing for their own and their families’ welfare needs, so more efficiently obtaining high quality services.
Other proposed cuts in public spending that Reform are very keen on implementing is what they call "pensioner gimmicks" such as the winter fuel payment and free TV licensing for the over 75s. Cutting both these "gimmicks" would, they say, save the economy £3.2 billion.
. Sir Richard Sykes is its chairman. Its former deputy director was Elizabeth Truss
, elected a Conservative MP in 2010; she was replaced by Nick Seddon, formerly at Circle.
Reform's Advisory Board includes Jeremy Browne
MP, Rt Hon Frank Field
MP, Sir Christopher Gent
(former CEO of Vodafone
), Oliver Pawle (Vice Chairman of UBS Investment Bank
), Sir Steve Robson (former second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury), Derek Scott (Economic Consultant to KPMG
and Deputy Chairman of Open Europe
), and Jeremy Sillem (formerly Chairman of Bear Stearns International
). Consultant Directors are Rupert Darwell, Professor Nick Bosanquet (Professor of Health Policy at Imperial College, London) and Nicholas Boys Smith, author of their report on welfare reform.
Reform's Advisory Council includes people such as Patrick Minford
, Ruth Lea
, Tim Congdon
, Karol Sikora
and Chris Woodhead
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
centre-right, liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, 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...
based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, whose declared mission is to set out a better way to deliver public services and economic prosperity via private sector involvement and market de-regulation. Reform describes itself as independent and non-partisan. It was founded in 2001 by Nick Herbert
Nick Herbert
Nicholas Le Quesne "Nick" Herbert is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs...
(now a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP
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,...
) and Andrew Haldenby
Andrew Haldenby
Andrew Haldenby is a co-founder of the think tank Reform , and has been its Director since May 2005. He is a trustee of the sister organisation of Reform, Reform Scotland. He was previously Communications Director at Business for Sterling , and Director of Studies at the Centre for Policy Studies...
(former head of the Political Section in the Conservative Research Department
Conservative Research Department
The Conservative Research Department is part of the central organisation of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. It operates alongside other departments of Conservative Campaign Headquarters at 30 Millbank, London SW1....
).
Overview
Reform was founded in 2001 by Nick HerbertNick Herbert
Nicholas Le Quesne "Nick" Herbert is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs...
(now a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP
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,...
) and Andrew Haldenby
Andrew Haldenby
Andrew Haldenby is a co-founder of the think tank Reform , and has been its Director since May 2005. He is a trustee of the sister organisation of Reform, Reform Scotland. He was previously Communications Director at Business for Sterling , and Director of Studies at the Centre for Policy Studies...
(former head of the Political Section in the Conservative Research Department
Conservative Research Department
The Conservative Research Department is part of the central organisation of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. It operates alongside other departments of Conservative Campaign Headquarters at 30 Millbank, London SW1....
). Reform's research and policy work is conducted by a charity, the Reform Research Trust, which is also a private company limited by guarantee. Campaigning is conducted by Reform Britain which is a not-for-profit organisation. Reform is a member of the Stockholm Network
Stockholm network
The Stockholm Network is a pan-European think tank and network, located in London. In addition to its own policy research, it is an umbrella organisation for market-oriented think tanks in Europe...
.
Reform had an income of just under £1m in 2009. Corporate donors ("partners", donating over £7500) include General Healthcare Group (GHG), KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
and GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
. Reform says of its "Corporate Partnership Programme" of corporate links that it
"is at the heart of our research work. The experience and insights of our Partners greatly improve the quality and relevance of our research. Our Partners are typically organisations with a strong commitment to improving public sector and economic performance. They find that a close collaboration with Reform helps them to achieve their own objectives, as well as bringing them into a new and high level network."
Aims and campaigns
Reform believes that, by reforming the public sector and extending choice, high quality services can be made available for everyone.Reform publishes reports on a variety of different issues, adopting what it considers to be an evidence-based approach to public policy. Its publications are always heavily populated with figures and tables. It has published most recently on the long-term future of the NHS, Britain's regional economic performance, the economic position of young people
IPOD generation
The IPOD generation stands for Insecure, Pressured, Over-taxed, and Debt-ridden. The term was first used in the Reform report 'The Class of 2005 - the IPOD generation', written by Professor Nick Bosanquet and Blair Gibbs....
, and on the tax and welfare system. It has also produced research that claims to show that the extra spending on public services between 2000 and 2006 has not shifted the trend performance of those services.
A much-cited 2008 reform report into the decline of mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
in the UK has received criticism in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper for itself employing poor use of mathematics.
Reform states that its vision is of a Britain with 21st Century healthcare, high standards in schools, a modern and efficient transport system, safe streets and a free, dynamic and competitive economy. Reform argues that in the longer term public spending should be reduced to the levels of Ireland and Australia (around 35% of GDP), and tax reduced so individuals can invest in themselves providing for their own and their families’ welfare needs, so more efficiently obtaining high quality services.
Other proposed cuts in public spending that Reform are very keen on implementing is what they call "pensioner gimmicks" such as the winter fuel payment and free TV licensing for the over 75s. Cutting both these "gimmicks" would, they say, save the economy £3.2 billion.
People
Reform is run by Director Andrew HaldenbyAndrew Haldenby
Andrew Haldenby is a co-founder of the think tank Reform , and has been its Director since May 2005. He is a trustee of the sister organisation of Reform, Reform Scotland. He was previously Communications Director at Business for Sterling , and Director of Studies at the Centre for Policy Studies...
. Sir Richard Sykes is its chairman. Its former deputy director was Elizabeth Truss
Elizabeth Truss
Elizabeth Mary Truss , also known as Liz Truss, is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk since the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
, elected a Conservative MP in 2010; she was replaced by Nick Seddon, formerly at Circle.
Reform's Advisory Board includes Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Richard Browne is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Taunton Deane since 2005 and a Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010.-Early life and education:...
MP, Rt Hon Frank Field
Frank Field (UK politician)
Frank Ernest Field DL is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Birkenhead since 1979. From 1997 to 1998, he served as the Minister of Welfare Reform, before leaving the Government, following differences with Prime Minister Tony Blair...
MP, Sir Christopher Gent
Chris Gent
Sir Christopher Charles Gent is a British businessman, He is the former chief executive officer of Vodafone, a British mobile phone company. He is currently the chairman of GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second largest pharmaceutical, biological, and healthcare company.-Early life:Born in 1948 in...
(former CEO of Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
), Oliver Pawle (Vice Chairman of UBS Investment Bank
UBS AG
UBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
), Sir Steve Robson (former second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury), Derek Scott (Economic Consultant to KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
and Deputy Chairman of Open Europe
Open Europe
Open Europe is an influential eurosceptic think-tank and interest group, founded in London by some UK business people, with offices in London and Brussels. While Open Europe does not advocate British withdrawal from the European Union, it is critical of the process of European integration and has...
), and Jeremy Sillem (formerly Chairman of Bear Stearns International
Bear Stearns
The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. based in New York City, was a global investment bank and securities trading and brokerage, until its sale to JPMorgan Chase in 2008 during the global financial crisis and recession...
). Consultant Directors are Rupert Darwell, Professor Nick Bosanquet (Professor of Health Policy at Imperial College, London) and Nicholas Boys Smith, author of their report on welfare reform.
Reform's Advisory Council includes people such as Patrick Minford
Patrick Minford
Professor Patrick Minford CBE is a British macroeconomist who is currently Professor of Applied Economics at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, a position he has held since 1997...
, Ruth Lea
Ruth Lea
Ruth Jane Lea is a British economist, who works in the financial sector and has also worked in the Civil Service, policy research bodies and the media....
, Tim Congdon
Tim Congdon
Tim G. Congdon CBE ) is an economist, educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School and St. John's and Nuffield colleges at the University of Oxford, with a long record of commenting on public policy issues, including writing sympathetically about the monetarist approach to macroeconomic policy...
, Karol Sikora
Karol Sikora
Dr Karol Sikora is a controversial and outspoken British physician specialising in oncology. He is currently Medical Director of CancerPartnersUK and dean of the University of Buckingham's medical school.-Early life:...
and Chris Woodhead
Chris Woodhead
Sir Christopher Anthony Woodhead was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England from 1994 until 2000 and is one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of English education policy...
.