A liberal Queen's Speech
7 May 2012
Set out below are nine measures that CentreForum would like to see included in the Queen's speech to parliament on Wednesday 9 May. For comment on the actual speech, please call us on 020 7340 1161, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Hosepipe bans are not the answer: lessons from electricity markets
Tim LeunigAt present, no domestic user is allowed to use a hosepipe when a ban is introduced. Under CentreForum's scheme, commercial users in a drought year will be offered compensation for reducing their consumption. The water saved could then be sold to domestic customers.
"Water companies should not be encouraged to pick on any particular group. Instead we should be offering compensation to industrial and agricultural users who agree to use less water. The water saved could be offered to water meter households who want to use hosepipes. Since households pay more for water than industrial and agricultural users the price difference can be used to pay the compensation."
- Tim Leunig, Chief Economist, CentreForum
Download the report.
Informed decisions: tackling information inequalities in higher education
Gill WynessIn this report CentreForum sets out five radical ways of getting information on universities into the hands of young people and parents.
The five point plan is intended to boost the government's drive to unlock information about different courses and institutions. From September 2012 the Higher Education Funding Council for England will require all universities and colleges to place standard sets of data, Key Information Sets (KIS), on their websites to help applicants "find quickly and compare easily, the headline items which students consider most important".
CentreForum welcomes this direction of travel but is concerned that the people most likely to look at the KIS will already be the best informed.
The report urges the government to do more to ensure that information reaches those from non traditional backgrounds, who are generally less aware of the costs, experience and long term benefits of going to university..
Download the report.
Coverage in Times Higher and the Guardian
Search
CentreForum Blog
-
Taxing income: a graph of marginal rates – Adam Corlett
If this graph seems confusing, it’s because it accurately describes taxation of income in the UK. I think there are four key problems and solutions. First, while the personal allowance...
-
Tackling information inequalities in higher education – Gill Wyness and Tom Frostick
A child’s fate is often decided very early on in its development. That is why government intervention must happen early. Liberal coalition policies such as parenting classes and the pupil...
-
Budget 2012 reaction: “Tycoon Tax” Anomalies – Tim Leunig
Nick Clegg somewhat surprised commentators by calling for a “tycoon tax” at the Liberal Democrats Spring conference. Although the Chancellor did not use that phrase this week, his budget did...
4 hours ago via web
Retweeted 10 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone • 1 retweet
1 day ago via web in reply to benphillips1989
