The last general election was held on 7 May 2015. Here, we’ve compiled all our relevant articles that cover the theme.
GalleryIn a multi-party political environment, the First-Past-The-Post electoral system may mitigate polarisation
In this post, Niall Hughes argues that FPTP electoral system performs much better in the context of multi-party politics. Crucially, in a general election a voter’s preferred candidate will depend on the results in other constituencies. As a result, when three parties compete in a general election and voters care about national policy, the problem of polarisation under FPTP is mitigated.
In any election […]
GalleryParty manifestos fail to offer clear commitments on the redrawing of Parliamentary boundaries
Will the rules for the redistribution of Parliamentary constituencies be changed by the next government – as recommended by a House of Commons Committee? Or will another disruptive exercise reducing the number of MPs begin within a year of the 2015 election, as currently scheduled? As Ron Johnston, David Rossiter and Charles Pattie show, there are no clear commitments in the […]
GalleryGender and the UK labour market: The evidence on whether ‘family-friendly’ policies can make a difference
While there has been improvement over the last couple of decades, there remains large ‘gender gaps’ in employment and wages. Ghazala Azmat explores the evidence on the key drivers of gender gaps and the effectiveness of ‘family-friendly’ policies to address them, highlighting the policy proposals of the main political parties in this election.
Differences in the labour market experiences of men and women […]
GalleryTo explain voting intentions, income is more important for the Conservatives than for Labour
Does income matter for vote intention? In this post, Alexandre Afonso looks into the relationships between income, education, redistribution, and vote intention in the context of the forthcoming election. He shows that Labour’s support is stable across most of the income distribution, and that Conservative support peaks amongst those with higher incomes. Additionally, while a majority of Conservatives voters oppose the […]
GalleryA real housing crisis but only fake solutions on offer
Overall, the manifestos confirm that all parties are unwilling to face up to the political problems they perceive would follow if they advocated solutions that might effectively address the crisis of housing supply. The illness is real but all that is on offer is snake oil; displacement activities treating some symptoms but not the underlying causes and – paradoxically […]
GalleryPaying for higher education – what are the parties proposing?
University financing has again emerged as a key battleground issue. Should fees be regulated lower and if so, how will the cost be financed? Gill Wyness explores these questions.
The UK has dramatically increased the supply of graduates over the last four decades. The proportion of workers with higher education has risen from only 4.7 per cent in 1979 to 28.5 per cent in […]
GalleryA Lib-Lab coalition is perfectly possible – with the SNP as the silent partner
There has been extended discussion over the different types of agreement between Labour and the SNP that would enable Ed Miliband to become Prime Minister after May 7th. In this post, James Dennison suggests an alternative scenario in which Labour forms a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, while relying on the support of the SNP as a ‘silent’ partner.
What makes […]
Attempts to raise more tax revenue from the wealthy need to go hand in hand with strong rules against avoidance
Attempts to raise more tax revenue from the wealthy need to go hand in hand with strong rules against avoidance
If a new government were to raise the top rate of income tax, it is unlikely that the UK’s highest earners will work less hard but it is likely they will try harder to avoid paying tax. That means tougher enforcement will be needed if taxes rise, says Alan Manning.
In the 1970s, the highest rate of income tax on […]