Comment and Blogs

Six things charities should know about local councillors

How can charities influence, engage with and make the most out of their relationships with local councillors? Read more

Understanding the ecosystem: charities and public services

Nicole Sykes, Director of Policy and Communications at PBE, discusses the fundamental role charities play in providing vital public services. Read more

Charities need to be a vital part of the UK’s productivity drive

Boosting charity productivity is an overlooked opportunity in the campaign to tackle the UK’s productivity problem. Both charities and policymakers have a shared interest in doing so. Read more

Six things charities should know about civil servants

How can charities influence, engage with and make the most out of their relationships with civil servants? Read more

Is measuring economic impact right for every charity?

PBE Economist, Madison Kerr, explores the PBE approach to measuring the economic impact of charities. Read more

To tackle the energy bills crisis, the government must put policy before politics

PBE’s Research and Policy Director Helen Barnard writes about the UK’s cost-of-living crisis and the government’s failure to put policy before politics. Read more

Pro bono work isn't just for lawyers. Here's why civil servants should volunteer

PBE’s Chief Economist Jon Franklin reflects on his experience of volunteering as a civil servant and argues that it is vital more civil servants volunteer if the government is to achieve its planned reforms. Read more

Inequality in civil society: the data

PBE's Research and Policy Analyst Jack Larkham explores the data on inequality within the social sector workforce. Read more

Action needed: Persistent ethnic inequalities in the labour market

A team of PBE experts take a closer look at the deeply-entrenched inequalities in the UK's labour market and the restrictions holding back the charities and community groups which could help. Read more

Civil society is central to every part of levelling up

PBE chief executive Matt Whittaker examines the key role civil society has to play in each of levelling up's four core objectives. Read more

Place-based philanthropy should play a starring role in levelling up

Helen Barnard, PBE's Director of Research and Policy, argues that levelling up will fail to deliver if its ambitions are not matched by greater philanthropic giving in the places that need it the most. Read more

Whitehall can do more to realise the potential of charitable giving

PBE's chair Lord Gus O'Donnell makes the case for greater championing of charitable giving from government to help the UK reach the levels of philanthropy seen in Canada and New Zealand. Read more

The Geography of Generosity

Charities offer part of the solution to each and every challenge of levelling up. But charities and their sources of financing aren't evenly spread. How can we drive up giving in the places that can benefit the most? Read more

House of Lords report lays bare the crisis in children's services

To mark the launch of a new House of Lords committee report drawing on PBE research, CEO Matt Whittaker reflects on the scale of cuts to children's services since 2010. Read more

Pandemic demands don’t stop charities looking to the future

Our latest Charity Tracker survey found that the positive signs in wider society have translated into increased optimism about the future for many charities. However, notwithstanding this optimism, we found most charities still faced a growing demand for their services and staff challenges brought on by the ‘pingdemic’. Read more

Latest

Charity counselling service in primary schools generates £36m in long-term benefits each year

Study shows benefits of specialist counselling for rising child mental health issues.
Place2Be’s one-to-one counselling service in UK primary schools: an updated cost-benefit analysis

An updated cost-benefit analysis of Place2Be's 1:1 counselling service in primary schools.
Wellbeing Valuation Lunch & Learn

Online and in-person training session for economists on the HMT Green Book Supplementary Guidance on Wellbeing
Wellbeing Valuation Half-Day Workshop

Four-hour training workshop for economists on the HMT Green Book Supplementary Guidance on Wellbeing

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Jenny Scott

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Law Family Charitable Foundation
Rising inflation: What do charities need to know?

Inflation is rising. Charity boards and leadership teams need to be planning for rising inflation to impact costs, pay deals, donation levels, and demand. Pro Bono Economics has pulled together the key issues to look out for.
What do we do?

Using economics to empower the social sector and increase wellbeing across the UK
A decade of change for children's services funding

PBE’s research raises concerns of a false economy in children’s services, where the need for Local Authorities to cut costs has fallen predominantly on early interventions spending such as children’s centres, family support services and services for young people.
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