Policy Network was an international centre-left

think tank A think tank, or public 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-governme ...

based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The President of Policy Network was former UK First Secretary of State and EU Trade Commissioner

Lord Mandelson Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, (born 21 October 1953) is a British politician, lobbyist and diplomat who has served as British Ambassador to the United States since February 2025. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party ...

; Lord Liddle (former Special Adviser to President of the European Commission

José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He previously served from 2002 to 2004 as the List of Prime Ministers of Portugal, 114th prime minister of Portugal and from 2004–2014 as the 11 ...

) was Chairperson. Policy Network sought to promote strategic thinking on progressive solutions to the challenges of the 21st century and the future of

social democracy Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

. It organized debates and conducted research on policy and political challenges. In May 2021, Policy Network merged with Progress to form Progressive Britain.

Website

Policy Network's website hosted the Policy Network Observatory, a forum for ideas and policy debate. The Policy Network Observatory also hosted a monthly insight bulletin, The State of the Left, which included insider analyses of the political climate in a number of countries around the world. In 2010, Policy Network launched its

opinion poll An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll, is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of qu ...

tracker, which tracked the fortunes of Europe's social democratic parties on a cross-comparative basis. Many articles on the Policy Network Observatory had been re-published by the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and some were translated into French at Toute L’Europe and Spanish at Agenda Pública and promoted by Policy Network's partner organisations in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Sweden, Spain, and Italy.

Work programmes

Under conditions of

globalisation Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

and

European integration European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...

, the distinction between

nation A nation is a type of social organization where a collective Identity (social science), identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, t ...

al and international problems has become increasingly blurred. Understanding the relationship between the domestic and the international informs Policy Network's work across three areas: * The renewal of social democracy * Europe's economic and social models * The politics of multi-level governance and institutional reform Specific topics include: welfare state and labour market reform, globalisation, European Union, economic governance, industrial policy,

climate change and energy Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...

, and migration and integration. Current or recent projects include economic and public service reform;

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

, integration and political trust; and the future of the post-

financial crisis A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with Bank run#Systemic banki ...

global economy.

Progressive Governance Network

The Progressive Governance Network, for which Policy Network acts as the secretariat, brings together progressive heads of state, government ministers, politicians and intellectuals from across the world to address the challenges of

globalization Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

. The network's stated goal is to enhance co-operation and links between key progressive policymakers and academics as well as to provide a meeting place for exchanging concrete policies and practices. The Progressive Governance Network was launched in 1999 by U.S. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

, Chancellor of Germany

Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German former politician and Lobbying, lobbyist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (S ...

, Prime Minister of the Netherlands

Wim Kok Willem Kok (; 29 September 1938 – 20 October 2018) was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002.Massimo D'Alema Massimo D'Alema (; born 20 April 1949) is an Italian politician and journalist who was the 53rd prime minister of Italy from 1998 to 2000. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008. D'Alema ...

. Since its formation in 1999, Progressive Governance conferences have been held in Chile, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Africa, Germany, Norway and Sweden. These conferences have often been hosted by incumbent heads of state including; Chilean President,

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December ...

in 2009; UK Prime Minister,

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...

in 2010; Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg in 2011, and Irish

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...

Eamon Gilmore Eamon Gilmore (born 24 April 1955) is an Irish diplomat and former Labour Party politician. He has served as European Union Special Representative for Human Rights since February 2019. He has also been the European Union Special Envoy for th ...

in 2012. Participants have included Brazilian presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso and

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

; U.S. Vice President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

; Director-General of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

Pascal Lamy; and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The 2013 Progressive Governance conference was hosted by the

Prime Minister of Denmark The prime minister of Denmark (, , ) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not init ...

Helle Thorning-Schmidt in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in April 2013.

Board members

President Peter Mandelson, Baron Mandelson: Former UK first secretary of state, business secretary and EU Trade commissioner Co-Chairs *

Roger Liddle, Baron Liddle Roger John Liddle, Baron Liddle (born 14 June 1947) is a British political adviser and consultant who is principally known for being Special Adviser on European matters to the former Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom, Prime Minister Tony Bla ...

: Labour front bench spokesperson on Europe in the House of Lords. * Patrick Diamond: Senior research fellow at Policy Network and former head of long-term policy in the UK Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. Formerly group director of policy at the

Equality and Human Rights Commission The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body in Great Britain, established by the Equality Act 2006 with effect from 1 October 2007. The Commission has responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of e ...

. Board *

Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, (born Andreas Adonis; 22 February 1963) is a British Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Blair ministry and the Brown ministry. He served as Secretary of Sta ...

: Labour member of the House of Lords. Former head of the

Number 10 Policy Unit The Number 10 Policy Unit is a body of policymakers based in 10 Downing Street, providing policy advice directly to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister. Originally set up to support Harold Wilson in 1974, it has gone ...

and former Minister of State for Education and former Secretary of State for Transport. * Stephen Beer: Senior fund manager, central finance board of the Methodist Church. * Matt Browne: Fellow at the

Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy think tank, research and advocacy organization which presents a Modern liberalism in the United States, liberal viewpoint on Economic policy, economic and social issues. CAP is headquarter ...

, previously director of public affairs in APCO Worldwide’s London office. * Andrew Gamble: Professor of Politics at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

and emeritus professor of Politics at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. * Stephen Hockman QC: Joint head of chambers at 6 Pump Court Chambers. He specialises in regulatory law and was chairman of the bar in 2006. He is chair of the Society of Labour Lawyers. * Jürgen Krönig: Broadcaster and author, commentator for the German weekly Die Zeit and various other publications in Germany, Switzerland and Britain. * Giles Radice, Baron Radice: Labour member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, formerly Labour member of parliament for North Durham 1972–2001. * Helen Wallace: Expert and author on the politics of European integration and has held posts at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, the European University Institute, the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

and at

Chatham House The Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, is a British think tank based in London, England. Its stated mission is "to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous, and just world". It ...

Funding

Policy Network has been given a C grade for funding transparency by Who Funds You? Policy Network discloses the identities of its funders on its website, but does not reveal how much money each funder provided. According to its website: "In 2016, Policy Network received core funding from Lord Sainsbury of Turville. In addition, support for specific projects was received from the Barrow Cadbury Fund; European Commission; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES); RSPB; Nissan Europe; Aberdeen Asset Management; Bertelsmann Stiftung and Foundation of European Progressive Studies (Feps). Event sponsorship was also received from E!Sharp; Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research; TechUK; Deutsche Börse and Gatsby."

Publications

* Anthony Giddens, "Politics of Climate Change", 2009 *

David Held David Jonathan Andrew Held (27 August 1951 – 2 March 2019) was a British political scientist who specialised in political theory and international relations. He held a joint appointment as Professor of Politics and International Relations, and ...

and Angus Fane Hervey, "Democracy, climate change and global governance", 2009 * David Hetherington and Tim Soutphommasane, "What's the Story? Nation-building Narratives in Australian Climate Politics", 2010 * Priya Shankar, "Old Player, New Role? India in a Multi-polar World", 2010 * Lauren M. McLaren, "Cause for Concern? The Impact of Immigration on Political Trust", 2010 * Patrick Diamond and Giles Radice, "Southern Discomfort Again", 2010 * Alfredo Cabral and Priya Shankar, "Brazil Rising: The Prospects of an Emerging Power", 2011 * Graeme Cooke, Adam Lent, Anthony Painter, and Hopi Sen, "In the Black Labour: Why Fiscal Conservatism and Social Justice Go Hand-in-hand", 2011 * Colin Crouch, "Is There a Liberalism Beyond Social Democracy?", 2011 * Jacob Hacker, "The Institutional Foundations of Middle Class Democracy", 2011 * Rebalancing What?, ''Mariana Mazzucato'', 2012 * On Growth, ''Larry Summers'', 2012 * Stephen Hockman, "Legislating for Responsible Capitalism", 2012 * "Immigration, Work and Welfare", Elena Jurado, Grete Brochmann, and Jon Erik Dølvik (eds), 2013 * Damian Chalmers, "Democratic Self-Government in Europe", 2013 * Roger Liddle, "The Europe Dilemma: Britain and the Drama of EU Integration", 2014 * Sofia Vasilopoulou, Mixed feelings: Britain's conflicted attitudes to the EU before the referendum, 2015 * Patrick Diamond and Giles Radice, Can Labour Win?, 2015 * Britain's EU renegotiation: the view from our partners, 2015 * Claudia Chwalisz and Patrick Diamond, The Predistribution Agenda, 2015 * Pat McFadden and Andy Tarrant, What would 'out' look like?, 2015 *

, The Risk of Brexit, 2015 * Andrew Duff, Britain's special status in Europe, 2016 * Greg McClymont and Andy Tarrant, Towards a New Pensions Settlement, 2016 * Daniel Sage, Young people at risk: Challenges and policy options for the UK, 2016 * Jake Sumner, Building for Generation Rent, 2016 * Frans Timmermans, Community: Discovering Ties That Bind, 2016 * Helen Thompson and Leila Simona Talani, The impact of Brexit on the City and the British economic model, 2016 * Jonathan Ashworth, Sunny Ways: Learning from Success and Failure in Canada, 2016 * Matthias Machnig and Oliver Schmolke, Distributing the Future, 2016 * Andrew Duff, After Brexit, 2016 * Lucia Quaglia and Waltraud Schelkle, EU economic governance after Brexit, 2016 * Florian Ranft, Martin Adler, Patrick Diamond, Eugenia Guerrero, and Matthew Laza, Freeing the Road, 2016

References

{{Authority control Public policy think tanks based in the United Kingdom Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom Social democracy