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This textbook offers a unique, practical guide to using quantitative evidence for transformative policymaking in an era of crisis. Written by the Common Sense Policy Group at Northumbria University, it combines economic microsimulation, public opinion research and narrative persuasion to address Britain's deepest challenges: poverty, inequality, declining health and crumbling infrastructure.
Unlike traditional policy texts, this book equips readers to develop their own tax-benefit modelling, conduct sophisticated distributional analysis, assess health impacts of economic interventions and use adversarial co-production to persuade policymakers. Using open-source tools, datasets and hands-on exercises and cases studies, it demonstrates that radical policies like Basic Income are both affordable and popular when properly evidenced and communicated.
This enables readers to produce compelling evidence that can shift the ‘Overton Window’ and influence policymakers. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to rebuild Britain through evidence-based policy.
The Common Sense Policy Group comprises academics, policymakers, third sector leaders, community representatives, media figures and people with lived experience. We are all committed to creating a fair, equal and inclusive Britain through developing and influencing redistributive policy that addresses the inequality and exclusion that has come to define our nation. We present consensus on feasible, affordable and overwhelmingly popular evidence-based policies that can form the basis for a programme for progressive Government.
The author group for this book is as follows:
Elliott Johnson, Vice Chancellor’s Fellow in Public Policy, (elliott.johnson@northumbria.ac.uk)
Graham Stark, Senior Research Fellow in Public Policy (graham.stark@northumbria.ac.uk)
Howard Reed, Professor (Practice) in Public Policy (howard.reed@northumbria.ac.uk)
Anna Thew, Senior Research Assistant in Public Policy (anna.thew@northumbria.ac.uk)
Daniel Nettle, Professor in Community Wellbeing, (daniel.nettle@northumbria.ac.uk)
Matthew Johnson, Professor of Public Policy, (matthew.johnson@northumbria.ac.uk)
Introduction
1. An introduction to using quantitative data in evidence-based policy research
2. Dealing with datasets
3. Understanding measures
4. Building a tax-benefit model
5. Understanding advanced models
6. Exploring tax-benefit systems
7. Quantitative evidence on impacts and social feasibility of reforms
8. Persuading the politicians: How to deploy evidence to influence policy
Conclusion