Principal Policy Adviser (work and care) | Joseph Rowntree Foundation | CharityJob Apply now for Principal Policy Adviser (work and care). , £81,572 per year plus £6,000 location allowance if based in our London office, find a career with meaning today

Professional news incoming. Until then, my amazing job at @jrf-uk.bsky.social is going and you should apply for it!

www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/joseph-...

Another town, another building The complicated life of a civic institution and what it tells us

One building's story and what it tells us about how to bring back our civic spaces.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/another-to...

Another town, another building The complicated life of a civic institution and what it tells us

Latest from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social which fits in nicely with the recent conversations on here about why people feel poorer despite technically not being so. The decline of civic and shared spaces could be part of it, as outlined here.
open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...

One of the best jobs in UK social science, research & policy.

Politics is not like business. Success in one field does not guarantee success in the other.

Some wise words today from UK policy wonk Polly MacKenzie. Politics is not like running a business. Some skills are transferable, but more is required. As Ms. MacKenzie says, politicians are not mere…

The art of politics Reflections on a slightly-political life

My beloved step mother Maureen has died. This is what she taught me about politics.
open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...

The art of politics Reflections on a slightly-political life

My beloved step mother Maureen has died. This is what she taught me about politics.
open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...

Social Science Adviser Government Office for Science Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 13th April 2026 Government Office for Science

The Government Chief Scientific Adviser will have a year focusing on the theme of ‘Trustworthy Information’. Great role in her office for a social scientist to provide support on this crucial topic and on other projects (£33k - £40k)
www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

Chatbots clearly a significant downgrade from #AITA

Fascinating indication of the rise in political frustration.

Use of the phrase "for too long" in Hansard in my lifetime.

Pride in Parades II: Strategies for Renewing Neighbourhood Social Infrastructure - Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods Are there examples of local shopping parades in deprived neighbourhoods that have declined, but come back to life? How did they do it?

This report from Popular and ICON, sharing some wonderfully concrete case studies of ways people have turned around struggling local parades and arcades is worth getting a coffee (other beverages are available), a comfy seat and having a read.

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Great piece by @pollymackenzie.bsky.social on what resilience looks like. This is what I've been thinking of lately as relational infrastructure. When crisis mode becomes the norm and transactional infrastructures are threatened, these kind of capabilities are foundational

What to do when the sunlight hardens Crisis makes the strongest case for a different kind of state.

‘What actually got people through emergencies - in the blitz, in floods, in foot and mouth, in 7/7 - was not the official machinery. It was the fabric of community that existed underneath it, and often despite it.’
Great from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

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How To Win An Election... podfollow.com/how-to-win-a...

Cancer almost killed me. We’re treating this disease all wrong Cancer specialist Karl Smith-Byrne almost died from the disease. He says the way investors, Big Pharma and government look at the cancer time bomb is all wrong

"Preventive strategies could mean people can be joyful for never needing treatment, rather than grateful to have survived"

This is an amazing article by a brilliant mind but...

That's not how politics works. And that's one of the greatest puzzles in public policy

www.thetimes.com/article/f10c...

Venture science is the missing link in the UK's innovation policy. What if:

- Tech Transfer Offices acted more like founders
- Regional procurement was used to leverage innovation
- We convened 'national sprints' to accelerate R&D on critical problems.

New paper.

drive.google.com/file/d/1w8tY...

tiny 🥳

This is so interesting, & I think much needed. Except I'd probably call it Pink Matter, not dark. The unaccounted-for economy is dominated by domestic & familial transfers from women to men.

Invisible people The dark matter of public policy is why the models don’t work

How long will we carry on designing reforms that don't work before we ask ourselves why?

I've written about the 'dark matter' of human society: the invisible work that levers don't reach.

And what to do about it.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/invisible-...

Paging @pollymackenzie.bsky.social.

open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...

thanks David

Invisible people The dark matter of public policy is why the models don’t work

How long will we carry on designing reforms that don't work before we ask ourselves why?

I've written about the 'dark matter' of human society: the invisible work that levers don't reach.

And what to do about it.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/invisible-...

Invisible people The dark matter of public policy is why the models don’t work

As ever, @pollymackenzie.bsky.social is on the money with this. I've recently had reason to be jolted into the world of caring in recent months. You v quickly realise that the state is reliant on an invisible web of support to avoid services collapsing.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/invisible-...

Come and shape the future of the Nuffield Foundation.

A new & key leadership role at the UK’s leading independent funder of social & economic research.

We fund evidence, back innovation & support pioneering practice. Join a great team at an exciting moment.

roles.saxbam.com/advert-detai...

Remember soft power? It went out of fashion.

Too “soft” for the right.

Too “power“ for the left.

But just as critical as ever.

A despatch from Serbia, where I’m part of a project to build cooperation on science and tech.

open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...

sorry to hear that. Mine was a bit miserable too but I learned a lot about the economics of the London prostitution market.

Hope you get a good case

How to afford the state we want State effectiveness and state capacity are not the same thing

A combination of national leadership (in terms of narrative setting) and relational public service design.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/how-to-aff...