Options For A New Britain

This volume is a follow up to its highly influential predecessor, Options for Britain, which in 1996 brought together a leading group of academics and policy experts to assess the key economic, social and constitutional policy options for Britain. A decade on and the British political world is very different.

Much of the analysis in Options for Britain has become accepted wisdom, and many of the policy proposals have become reality. However, there is also a sense of deja vu. The Labour government has been in power for a decade and governments find it difficult to refresh themselves in power, as the legacy of their own decisions build up.

It is in these historical moments that outside thinking such as that embodied within Options for a New Britain can have a decisive influence, helping to inform the public and key commentators, and to provide a source of ideas and inspiration. Leading academics and policy experts examine what has happened over the last decade across a broad range of key policy areas, what are the current challenges and what options might an incoming government- regardless of political persuasion- have to address them.

Review: 'An authoritative and rigorous analysis of the policy options for Britain in the next ten years. It looks across the whole range of policy areas, exploring the dilemmas which will confront governments, and how they might be resolved.' - Andrew Gamble, University of Cambridge, UK 'A comprehensive account of the challenges that Britain faces in the decade ahead by a team of experts who also provide policy options to address these challenges.' - Robert Hazell, The Constitution Unit, UCL, UK 'Fascinating, timely and invaluable - a collection of independent perspectives of how key policy issues and options have changed and been addressed since 1996 together with thoughts on how the challenge of the next decade might be tackled.' -- Sir Michael Bichard, Institute of Government, UK 'An independent and authoritative audit of public policy that is detached from day to day Westminster and media battles.

The authors challenge many conventional political assumptions on, for instance, housing and public transport. The party manifestos for the next election should be judged alongside this book.' - Peter Riddell, Chief Political Commentator of The Times