Clear all

262 results found

reorder grid_view

It's Complicated: People and Their Democracy in Germany, France, Britain, Poland, and the United States

July 1, 2021

This in-depth study explores how citizens in five countries (Germany, France, Britain, Poland, and the United States) feel about democracy, their frustrations, and their demands, with a particular focus on those with an ambivalent relationship with democracy.

Views About National Identity Becoming More Inclusive in U.S., Western Europe

May 5, 2021

As issues about culture and identity continue to be at the center of heated political debates in the United States and Europe, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that views about national identity in the U.S., France, Germany and the UK have become less restrictive and more inclusive in recent years. Compared with 2016 – when a wave of immigration to Europe and Donald Trump's presidential campaign in the U.S. made immigration and diversity a major issue on both sides of the Atlantic – fewer now believe that to truly be American, French, German or British, a person must be born in the country, must be a Christian, has to embrace national customs, or has to speak the dominant language

Attitudes Towards Inequality in the UK: A review of opinion surveys

March 13, 2018

As part of Oxfam's commitment to tackling inequality in order to end extreme poverty, we need to understand how different people feel about inequality. This briefing examines three UK population surveys and notes that there is widespread agreement with statements that promote greater equality. Those on lower incomes tend to be more egalitarian; the impact of other demographic variables is less clear. In one survey, younger people were the more egalitarian group, but in other surveys, older people were more egalitarian. To campaign effectively and represent the interests of different groups, we need a clearer understanding of how and why attitudes differ. This research note identifies areas where further investigation is needed.

UK Supermarket Supply Chains: Ending the human suffering behind our food

February 19, 2018

Inequality is rampant across the global economy, and the agro-food sector is no exception. At the top, big supermarkets and other corporate food giants dominate global food markets, allowing them to squeeze value from vast supply chains that span the globe, while at the bottom the bargaining power of small-scale farmers and workers has been steadily eroded in many of the countries from which UK supermarkets and others from around the world source. The result is widespread human suffering among the women and men producing our food. This report puts key findings of the global campaign report Ripe for Change: Ending human suffering in supermarket supply chains in a UK context.

Safe but Not Settled: The impact of family separation on refugees in the UK

January 22, 2018

Refugees in the UK often find themselves separated from their families by their brutal experiences of conflict and persecution, just at the time when they need each other the most. This separation can drag on for years or sometimes indefinitely because of the UK's restrictive rules on refugee family reunion. This joint report by the Refugee Council and Oxfam is one of the first to look at how family reunion and ongoing forced separation from loved ones affect the ability of refugees to successfully integrate into UK society.

A Menu to End Hunger in the UK

December 19, 2017

Research from the United Nations has found that between 2014 and 2016, 4.2% of the UK population - almost three million people - were 'severely food insecure'. This is defined as people skipping meals, reducing the amount they eat or even going without food at all. Statistics can sometimes detract from the human story, so this report features the words of those who experience food poverty to highlight what being too poor to eat in the UK is really like.The amazing work being done by charities, community groups and individuals - as well as by businesses and local authorities - will not end hunger in the UK. The members of the End Hunger UK campaign coalition are united in the belief that to really tackle the root causes of household food insecurity we need a concerted effort by the UK and devolved governments. Only action at this level will ensure that everyone has enough money in their pocket to feed themselves and their families with good quality, healthy food.

Ending the Tax Scandals: Five Actions the UK Government Can Take to Tackle Tax Avoidance

November 5, 2017

When corporations and individuals get away with not paying their fair share of tax, it is poor countries which have the most to lose.  Governments are robbed of vital revenue and poor people are left trapped in poverty, while those with the power to avoid paying taxes grow ever richer - leading to spiralling inequality.This briefing note lists five actions the UK government can take to lead the way on a tax avoidance clamp down.

Double Trouble: A review of the relationship between UK poverty and economic inequality

November 3, 2017

The link between inequality and poverty has been highlighted by a number of international organisations, which have outlined a series of policy recommendations supporting the view that high levels of inequality need to be tackled even if the central objective is to reduce poverty.This report makes clear there is a positive correlation between income inequality and relative income poverty in the UK. The strength of this connection depends on which measure of inequality is used and this report makes no claim about causation - but the central conclusion is clear. We can no longer treat poverty and economic inequality as separate problems which can be tackled in isolation. They are instead closely linked and must be tackled together.

Giving a Sense of Place: Philanthropy and the Future of UK Civic Identity

September 18, 2017

The Charities Aid Foundation argues that philanthropy should be a central part of the discussion about the future of cities in the UK and makes specific recommendations to usher in a new golden age of civic giving. It recommends actions to be taken by central and local government, locally elected mayors, the public sector, philanthropists and charities. These include:-The development of a clear narrative about civic philanthropy-The establishment of Local Philanthropy Partnerships-The publication of a philanthropy strategy by regionally elected mayors and-The stimulation of a wider culture of giving in cities.

Charities Taking Charge: Transforming To Face A Changing world

May 24, 2017

NPC's research on the State of the Sector involving 400 charity leaders. The findings hold up a mirror to the sector and highlight examples of those charities leading the way. Many charities are getting bogged down by issues mostly out of their hands. It's true that the sector faces many challenges. But they found some examples of sector leaders taking ownership and using what's in their power to move forward. They think many other organisations can learn from this. By working collaboratively, thinking creatively, and looking afresh at their relationships and resources, there's an opportunity to flip the narrative.

A Whole New World : Funding and Commissioning in Complexity

May 1, 2017

This report, undertaken by Newcastle University Business School in partnership with Collaborate, delves into the ways in which funders  are beginning to realise the importance of recognising complexity. Rather than working to fictional 'transformations' which start with a problem, deliver a service and expect a result, they are becoming more flexible when addressing problems; working in a way which is at once more human and more systemic.Outcomes are created by people's interaction with whole systems, not by particular interventions or organisations. Funders and commissioners working in this way take some responsibility for the health of a system as a whole, because healthy systems produce better outcomes. They take a system coordination role. They invest in network infrastructure which enables actors in the system to communicate effectively; they invest in building positive, trusting relationships and developing the skills of the people who work in the system.The report identifies an opportunity to evolve beyond the New Public Management paradigm (NPM). NPM assumes that workers must be incentivized through performance targets to perform well, and therefore requires that metrics be used to measure the performance of people and organisations, as mechanisms to hold them accountable for producing desired outcomes. This approach leads to gaming (people doing activity which makes the data look better, rather than activity which genuinely helps people), and to fragmented services.This report offers a glimpse of an emerging new approach – funders and commissioners who are beginning to work differently. This is the start of an exploring how it can be funded and commissioned in a way which meets the needs and strengths of real people.

Together Again: Reuniting refugee families in safety - what the UK can do

February 27, 2017

This paper highlights how the UK government could do more to enable refugees with family members in the UK to travel here safely. The current rules leave families facing impossible decisions: bring some family members to safety but leave others behind, often at even greater risk as they may be isolated and alone in dangerous circumstances; or put their loved ones' lives in the hands of smugglers in a desperate attempt to be together in the UK. By changing its restrictive policy, the UK government could help make families more resilient in the face of displacement, prevent men, women and children from embarking on dangerous journeys, and support the integration of refugees in the UK.