Comment and Blogs

Charities are a missing piece of the productivity puzzle

PBE Chair Lord Gus O'Donnell and Be the Business Chair Sir Charlie Mayfield make the case for putting the social sector at the heart of the UK's productivity drive. Read more

‘Change begets change’: Dickens’ example shows what is needed from the FCA

PBE's Nicole Sykes retraces the story of Charles Dickens' philanthropy advice and calls on the FCA to make changes to encourage more of this spirit from financial advisers today. Read more

Advisers must keep pace with booming philanthropy sector

PBE's Nicole Sykes makes the case for greater financial advice on philanthropic giving. Read more

The wellbeing gap for LGBT+ young people

PBE's Nicole Sykes explores evidence collected by the #BeeWell project of a wellbeing gap impacting LGBT+ young people in Greater Manchester. Read more

Understanding impact is a marathon, not a sprint

PBE Chief Economist Jon Franklin reflects on the experience of Artis, a charity specialising in performing arts in primary schools, in embedding impact measurement into their services. Read more

Excluded from school…and the data

PBE's Chief Economist Jon Franklin discusses the challenges encountered by the #BeeWell programme in Greater Manchester when collecting wellbeing data on children permanently excluded from mainstream schools. Read more

Budget 2023: Charity sector spotlight

What charities need to know about the implications of the Chancellor's 2023 Budget for their income, demand, services, and the economy overall. Read more

Want to tackle UK inactivity? Ask charities how.

Ahead of the announcement of the Chancellor's 2023 Budget this week, PBE's Anoushka Kenley, Jack Larkham and Nicole Sykes make the case for the charity sector's role in helping to solve the UK's inactivity challenge. Read more

How does a child's wellbeing vary with risk of school exclusion?

PBE's Chief Economist Jon Franklin looks at how multiple risk factors for school exclusion impact on a child's wellbeing. Read more

How many children are at risk of permanent school exclusion in the UK?

PBE's Chief Economist Jon Franklin considers the options for attempting to quantify the number of children in the UK who are at risk of permanent exclusion from school. Read more

In Backlog Britain, charities mind the queues

PBE's Nicole Sykes takes a look at the impact of public sector backlogs on the charity sector. Read more

Double or nothing: Charities may be more than twice as valuable as first thought

PBE Economist Jamie O'Halloran explores how the charity and non-profit sector is undervalued in national accounts, and how this can be improved. Read more

Winter woes: The outlook for charities after the Autumn Statement 2022

PBE examines the consequences of the OBR's outlook and the Chancellor's Autumn Statement for charities. Read more

A fraying net? Six charts that highlight the challenges facing charities in the cost of living crisis

PBE's Matt Whittaker and Jack Larkham explore the challenges facing charities in the cost of living crisis with an analysis of new YouGov data. Read more

Closer connections – the social sector’s voice needs to be stronger in government

Ahead of the arrival of a new government led by Liz Truss, this latest analysis for the Law Family Commission on Civil Society calls for greater engagement between government advisory groups and the social sector. Read more

Five things charities should know about Conservative MPs

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

Shared stress: uncertainty, pay and recruitment strains across the charity and private sectors

New figures from the Bank of England show significant uncertainty for both charities and businesses alongside pay and recruitment strains. Read more

Five things charities should know about Labour MPs

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

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

Latest

Minister Insights: Sir Oliver Letwin

Sir Oliver Letwin reflects on the Big Society initiative he helped David Cameron to spearhead in government, as well as giving his thoughts on the untapped potential that resides in civil society.
‘Councils wasted £60mn on tribunals over children with special educational needs,’ report finds

New analysis by PBE, commissioned by the Disabled Children's Partnership, reveals the cost of tribunals between local authorities and parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Wasting money, wasting potential: The cost of SEND tribunals

PBE analysis, commissioned by the Disabled Children's Partnership, of the costs of SEND tribunals between local authorities in England and parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilites (SEND).
The well-worn path: Children's services spending 2010-11 to 2021-22

PBE's latest analysis of local authority spending on children's services in England between 2010-11 and 2021-22.

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Using economics to empower the social sector and increase wellbeing across the UK
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.
How can PBE help your charity?

We are always keen to support charities with their data challenges. If your charity would like support through our Data First Aid, please get in touch!
Data First Aid

Is your charity in need of some extra help with your data? Applications for support are now open!
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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