Evidence briefings

Social media have become a key information source for the public when terror attacks occur. Analysis after the Lee Rigby murder shows important lessons for the police and authorities in taking the heat out of a tense situation and reducing the opportunities for ‘secondary crimes’.

With constrained public spending the support for private R&D investment has to be targeted effectively. An analysis from the Enterprise Research Centre provides the first systematic overview of policies and their effectiveness in increasing private investment.

Ethnic minorities and women seem to be under-represented as entrepreneurs and with lower levels of business performance. A research on enterprise diversity has focused on key issues including access to finance, market selection and management skills.

Selective supply-side support, based on tax incentives, to boost affordable rented housing has proved successful - with conditions that keep rents below market levels and the incomes of eligible tenants below defined thresholds, over a specified long-term time period.

There are two fundamental economic problems with the current planning system: a damaging restriction on the supply of space and an economically inefficient use of land. Less restrictive land allocation responsive to prices, more local incentives and a focus on housing space could reform the current planning policy.

Rather than tackling intolerance and extremism in isolation, policy on racism and integration must take into account racial justice, social mobility and social justice. A selective approach to integration which only targets 'problem minorities' promotes division over cohesion.

Research shows that Britain’s multicultural policies have had little or no effect on the trajectories of any ethno-religious groups towards integration. The key drivers of integration are exposure to British ways of life at school and work, and the ways minorities are treated by white British people and institutions.

Evidence has revealed that the quality of education varies widely between and within countries. Educational standards can be negatively affected by a number of issues - with school management identified as one of the key factors.

Research suggests that higher education levels are associated with higher levels of political interest, social trust, health and wellbeing. Policies aimed at encouraging higher education should not only target the young, but also increase the uptake and positive valuation of education across the lifespan.

Victims of childhood bullying are at increased risk of poorer health, wealth and social relationships in adulthood. More effective intervention to prevent bullying could reduce long-term health and social costs for individuals and society.