Political and Economic Planning (PEP) was a British policy

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

, formed in 1931 in response to

Max Nicholson Edward Max Nicholson (12 July 1904 – 26 April 2003) was a pioneering environmentalist, ornithologist and internationalist, and a founder of the World Wildlife Fund. Early life Max Nicholson, as he was known to all, was born in Kilternan, Ir ...

's article ''A National Plan for Britain'' published in February of that year in Gerald Barry's magazine ''The Week-End Review''.

History

The original members included Nicholson and Barry, the zoologist

Julian Huxley Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (22 June 1887 – 14 February 1975) was an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist, and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century modern synthesis. ...

, the agronomist Leonard Elmhirst, the financier

Basil Phillott Blackett Sir Basil Phillott Blackett (8 January 1882 – 15 August 1935) was a British civil servant and expert on international finance. Biography Blackett was the eldest son of Rev. William Blackett, a missionary and educationalist in India and hi ...

, the civil servants Dennis Routh and Sir Henry Bunbury, the research chemist Michael Zvegintzov, and

Israel Sieff Israel Moses Sieff, Baron Sieff (4 May 1889 – 14 February 1972) was an English businessman and Zionist who was chairman of the British retailer Marks & Spencer from 1964 to 1967. Early life and education He was born in Manchester, the son of ...

, a director of

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

. Sieff was Chairman in the 1930s, followed by Elmhirst in 1939 and by Nicholson in 1953. It was a non-governmental planning organisation financed by corporations. This prolific organisation was influential in the formation of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and post-war planning, and the development of the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

. After the war it shared the offices of

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

Belgrave Square Belgrave Square is a large 19th-century garden square in London. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and its architecture resembles the original scheme of property contractor Thomas Cubitt who engaged George Basevi for all of the terraces for t ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, producing reports such as ''Opportunities in Industry'' (1957) and ''Advisory Committees in British Government'' (1960)Sampson, A. (1962) ''Anatomy of Britain''. Hodder & Staughton: London. p.248, 454. In 1978 PEP merged with the Centre for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), and became the

Policy Studies Institute The Policy Studies Institute (PSI) is a British think-tank and research institute. PSI began in 1931 as Political and Economic Planning and became the Policy Studies Institute in 1978 on its merger with the Centre for Studies in Social Policy (est ...

(PSI).

Chairmen

* 1931—1939:

* 1939—1953: Leonard Elmhirst * 1953—1978:

References

External links

Catalogue of the PEP papers
at th

of the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

. {{Authority control Political history of the United Kingdom Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom

History

Chairmen

See also

References

External links