The Wates Group has set a target to work with a social enterprise on every project. In 2013 the group launched the first national Social Enterprise Brokerage (SEB) site in partnership with Social Enterprise UK (SEUK). They aim to generate trade of… Read more »
New research by the New Economics Foundation for the What Works Centre for Wellbeing has revealed the differences in wellbeing across council areas in the United Kingdom. Pulling together a wide range of data, the report, Measuring wellbeing inequality in Britain, the… Read more »
Author: Elizabeth Cox, Associate Director, NEF Consulting There has never been a greater and more urgent need for a new economy. In response to challenges around housing and rising land prices, many local authorities are moving people in social and… Read more »
A new report on local early action was recently published by the New Economics Foundation for the Southwark and Lambeth Early Action Commission. This report is the product of an 18-month programme of work funded through Southwark and Lambeth councils…. Read more »
Involving stakeholders at each stage of an evaluation is one of the fundamental principles of SROI, and should be celebrated as one of its greatest strengths. The common thread underpinning NEF Consulting’s work is co-production. Our participatory research methods ensure… Read more »
The New Economics Foundation has published a new report by Sarah Lyall. The following is a summary of the findings. In the face of severe spending cuts, many local authorities are struggling to tackle growing levels of inequality and poverty. Others are exploring… Read more »
Lessons from the third sector in London At the end of 2014, NEF Consulting developed and delivered training around measuring social impact for LVSC, the collaborative leader of London’s voluntary and community sector. This was part of the London for… Read more »
Family Action, supported by NEF Consulting and LankellyChase Foundation, have released the first findings from the innovative Open Doors programme. The programme distributes small cash grants via a network of partners who provide support to people experiencing extreme poverty and… Read more »
Most research on the effects of Early Childhood Development projects in a development setting focuses on the long term impact that is created. You wouldn’t assume there’s a problem there, right? With so much policy making and investments focused on… Read more »
We have a training course for local authorities on commissioning for outcomes and co-production. Click here for more details. NEF has also published a practical guide, Commissioning for Outcomes and Co-production aimed at local authorities. NEF’s approach to commissioning provides a framework, a set of principles and… Read more »
Photo credit Nick Page. NEF’s approach to commissioning provides a framework, a set of principles and practical guidance to re-assess how services are currently provided. It can help to re-focus services on the outcomes that really matter to those who… Read more »
Statistics on unemployment are never far from newspaper headlines; the number of people out of work, the number of people on benefits, the success (or otherwise) of government programmes, the type of people on benefits. We know from the news… Read more »
Photo credit: Ronny-André Bendiksen MARCH 26, 2014 BY KAREN JEFFREY Wellbeing is in the news again, thanks to new Cabinet Office research into which jobs make us happiest. The findings show that legal professionals (earning on average £75k) report lower average life satisfaction… Read more »
Case study: Prince’s Trust: 40 life-changing years Over the last 40 years the Prince’s Trust has helped change the lives of hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people across the UK. Today, three in four young people on their progammes… Read more »
Measuring what matters is an increasing challenge for local councils as they are required to move away from narrow unit cost into areas of outcomes and social value. This is particularly true for social care where finding ways to quantify… Read more »
CARE International commissioned NEF Consulting to analyse the costs and benefits associated with investing in climate change adaptation in the region of Garissa, Kenya as part of the Adaptation Learning Programme. Given current challenges in climate change mitigation and uncertainty,… Read more »
Bridgend County Borough Council worked with NEF Consulting in the Upper Llynfi Valley – an area facing long-term economic challenges. The project sought to build economic literacy, facilitating action planning workshops to ensure that a new market square development brings… Read more »
North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) commissioned NEF Consulting to investigate how the council and residents could improve the sustainability and local identity of Sleaford town centre. Through use of appreciative inquiry surveys, local stakeholders identified those assets of Sleaford that… Read more »
This specialist study evaluated the degree of ‘clone town’ status and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that Twickenham faces with regards to its distinctive assets and local sourcing. We were commissioned to cross-examine best practice from other similar towns,… Read more »
NEF Consulting worked throughout 2009 with SLaM NHS Trust to deliver Wellbeing at Work for the employees of the Trust. The survey provided SlaM with both qualitative and quantitative wellbeing results (benchmarked against national average scores). Based on the survey results, wellbeing interventions… Read more »
People in work are the same the world over. In efforts to improve happiness and wellbeing, it seems there is more to connect us than separate us. We recently took the ideas and tools of NEF and Happiness Works into factories… Read more »
NEF aims to create a new economy that works for people and within environmental limits. We are guided by three missions:
A new social settlement
To ensure people are paid well, have more time off to spend with their families, and have access to the things we all need for a decent life.
A Green New Deal
A plan for government-led investment to reduce the carbon we emit and boost nature, while creating a new generation of jobs.
The democratic economy
To devolve state power and transform ownership of the economy to give everyone an equal stake in the places where we live and work.
We work with people to ignite change from below and carry out rigorous research to fight for change at the top.
We map local projects building a more democratic economy and the policies to make this happen.
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