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

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

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.

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. (1/2) 🔗

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 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...

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

"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.

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...

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-...

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...

Excellent piece👇 “… the societies that mobilise most effectively in a crisis are the ones with the deepest social fabric, the highest trust between citizens and institutions, and the most distributed sense of responsibility.”

Super post by @pollymackenzie.bsky.social. Reflecting on the piece I wonder whether a) we can go further/flip it & suggest that in 'good' or 'boom' times we forget those reciprocal & relational things that bind us together; & b) perhaps 'pliability' might be better description than 'resilience'?

This is very good

Brilliant, as ever, from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social, this time on resilience and the urgent need for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between citizen and state in these trying times. All the better for a Louis MacNeice reference too... howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

‘We are not, in other words, a resilient society being tested by a single shock. We are a brittle one being hit by several at once.’

Time to put the fluffy stuff about community and relationships aside so the grown-ups can take charge? No: my latest piece explains why this would be a dangerous mistake. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

Repositioning care in economics: concepts, measurement, and policy implications url: academic.oup.com/oxrep/articl...

Why we all need a little more friction in our lives - in a slippery age. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/in-praise-...

The great charity that used to be called Sustrans (and now has a name that I find harder to understand) that focuses on sustainable travel is looking for a new CEO. Overseeing 500 staff and 2000 volunteers. £160k. Apply by 15 March micro.green-park.co.uk/walkwheelcyc...

I'm blaming @pollymackenzie.bsky.social for this! 😒

OpenSAFELY is open from today! Huge thanks to all who supported this vast collaboration: whole population GP data; in a productive platform; innovative privacy protections; unprecedented support from professions, privacy campaigners; &c Now it's over to users! www.bennett.ox.ac.uk/blog/2026/02...

Bring back paragraphs

This from Nigel Ball on @pollymackenzie.bsky.social's subtack is superb. It asks some basic questions of the way we make policy, the answers to which hold profound implications for government, policy-makers, researchers and educators. 1/2 substack.com/home/post/p-...

But which one is the celebrity?

NEW @kinship.works for @jrf-uk.bsky.social Help us map the disciplines of civic renewal - We know community-led approaches to reviving civic life (Big Local, etc) work - But we lack understanding of disciplines/professional roles that enable it What should we look at? medium.com/kinship-work...

Is it time for a tourism tax if even our biggest arts institutions are struggling this much? And this is after blockbuster exhibitions (Van Gogh) & successful philanthropy, so think how much tougher it must be for more local-regional galleries and museums www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

So much weight is put behind 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 or 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘅𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱-𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰 in policy, but where is 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵-𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 or 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝘆𝗻𝗲-𝗧𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻. I only learnt yesterday that a lot of the worlds banknotes are made by a company in Basingstoke, but who is shouting about this?

I can't get enough of this writing, so good. Thank you @pollymackenzie.bsky.social howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/this-is-mid

There is something about the word “middle” that triggers discomfort in political and commercial life. We are hunting for unicorns or cherishing our neighbourhood coffee cart. But the middle isn't middling: the middle is the best bit. My latest piece. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/this-is-mid

Strictly is a truly remarkable beast.

pretty happy with this, ngl. apparently I'm more of a cyclist than a feminist these days. intriguing.

ICYMI: Our Invitation to Tender for a proposed People's Forum on Advanced AI Assistants. Full details below. We have also developed some FAQs for potential applicants ➡️https://adalovelaceinstitute.org/assistants-tender-faqs Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2026.

Time to re up my post on how to staff No10 open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...

what is interesting about the Goodwin example is that child benefit was introduced as a replacement for child tax allowances, part of the system until the 1970s. Switch benefited low earners/ mothers (this was pre-independent taxation) but CTAs were not regarded as a wild proposal

No-one thinks about tax and welfare as a set of net transfers between citizens and the state. We respond to a deep story of punishment and reward. If we want to solve our fiscal problems, we need to engage with those deep stories and find new ones. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...

I believe we call this an emergency podcast. pod.fo/e/38b2fb

"Thank you for dialling 999. Which emergency service will you be requiring? Police, Fire, Ambulance, or Podcasts?"

Today we talked quite a lot about Peter Mandelson on our podcast that used to feature Peter Mandelson. Full ep here: pod.fo/e/388d04

Delighted that we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are once again supporting this annual online event aimed at reaching people currently under-represented in the think tank sector… please share with your networks…

sorry to be sentimental but this is the most amazing heartwarming story

Important! AHRC is looking for a new Executive Chair. A critical role for arts and humanities. £160k - £170k. Please share widely to help get the best possible field! fa-evzn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...