Publications

Nick Donovan (June 2016): The Panama Papers have put questions of wealth, tax and inequality right back at the top of the political agenda. In ‘A Unique Contribution’, Nick Donovan calls for a one-off levy on the passive worldwide wealth of Britain’s super-rich, which takes a more stringent approach with those who have used tax havens or domestic tax avoidance schemes. The report argues a one-off levy would be a much fairer way to pay down the deficit than the chancellor’s continued programme of public spending cuts, and would also address growing public concern about spiralling inequality.

The conflict in and around Ukraine has called into question the premises of the EU's Eastern Policy. In a new FES Perspective, eleven authors from the EU, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine advocate for a pragmatic policy of the EU vis-à-vis its eastern neighbours: The deep crisis in EU-Russia relations should not prevent Brussels from seeking cooperation in areas where mutual interests coincide. Opportunities exist in the economic sphere, in technical and scientific cooperation, in civil society exchange, and in global politics.

Thymian Bussemer, Christian Krell, Henning Meyer (January 2016): The Digital Revolution is reshaping our societies and the pace of change is set to accelerate even further. The world of work in particular is increasingly transformed by new technologies and continuous innovation. This exemplifies a crucial point: the Digital Revolution is not primarily a technological but an economic and social issue. The crucial question then is: what should a Digital Society based on social democratic values look like? This paper, published jointly with Social Europe Journal, analyses the key conflicts and provides policy guidance for decision-makers.

FES London and Fabian Society (Edt., December 2015): With Russia flexing its muscles, Isis a rising threat and a refugee crisis caused by failed states and civil war, international affairs are at the top of the political agenda. But the left’s foreign policy debate has been defined more by the battles of the past than the challenges of the future. It is more important than ever that the left sets out a forward–looking vision of Britain’s role in the world. ‘Outward to the World’, published in co-operation with the Fabian Society, maps out a practical but progressive foreign policy from first principles, developing the building blocks of a practical idealism: a new account of globalisation, a reinvention of the European security order, a political vision for de-escalation in the Middle East, a different account of what multilateralism…

Sarah Lain (December 2015): On 30 November 2015, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung hosted a day-long workshop aimed at bringing together leading German and British security specialists as well as members of the UK Parliament and Bundestag to discuss key aspects of European security. The day’s events covered three sessions: European defence, as seen from Berlin and London; the migration crisis; and a review of European security relations with Russia. This report summarizes the policy recommendations that derived from the discussions during the day.

Joe Dromey (November 2015): Both voice and consultation have been shown to be linked to numerous positive outcomes for employees as well as employers, according to the recently published report “ICE and Voice 10 years on” by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung London and the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA). The publication focuses on the Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations, deriving from an EU-directive introduced in the UK in April 2005.

Giselle Cory and Alfie Stirling (October 2015): Traditional ideas of gender roles and the labour market participation of women have been changing in the last decades. Moreover, trends in earnings and living costs have necessitated dual-earning in couple households. In fact, 31.4 per cent of mothers in working families across Europe are breadwinners, earning more than 50 per cent of a family’s income, as this new report by FES London and IPPR shows. However, different attitudes in family and public policies result in varying characteristics, opportunities and challenges. Policies in both countries need to keep up with these changing family structures and ensure that all families are supported to balance work and care.

Daisy-Rose Srblin (Edt., July 2015): This collection of essays, published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung London and the Fabian Society, explores how the left can reimagine a tax system for modern times, more progressive, more transparent and more efficient, and helps to shape a fairer society and a more productive economy. In a globalised world, taxation is no longer an issue within national borders alone. This is why the collection draws on international comparisons throughout. Importantly, it considers how to bring the public into conversation. Tax reform should neither be locked away by politicians from public view, nor left to the expert few: it needs to be put back in the hands of many.

The private sector is an intrinsic part of the ecology of conflict-affected societies, through its implication in dense networks of external and local actors, combined with practices which directly affect the security of individuals and groups in the everyday. In contrast to the prevailing liberal peace view in which business is framed as an indispensable component of macro-economic reforms, and a mechanism for peace and transition through building free-market democracies, the paper uses empirical examples from the Balkans, Middle East and Central America to show that the supposed benefits of corporate involvement in conflict and transition environments are mitigated by a human security perspective in which the impacts on vulnerable individuals and societies are often perverse and contradictory.

Everyday civilian and military activities have become highly dependent on cyberspace. This creates new vulnerabilities both to accidents and to intentional threats. Malevolent individuals and organisations may, without any physical presence, infiltrate all possible networks, including the most sensitive ones. Every individual as well as governmental, non-governmental and business organisation may be targeted. Hence the growing concern for cybersecurity, which reflects the changes taking place in broader approaches to security - from the security of nations and territories to the security of individuals and communities.