- Civitas (think tank)
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This article is about the British think tank. For the Roman political concept, see Civitas.
Civitas: The Institute for the Study of Civil Society was founded by David G. Green and Robert Whelan early in 2000 as an independent think tank. It is a British registered charity (No. 1085494[1]), financed by private donations. It receives no government funding and has no affiliations with any political party.
Contents
Activities
The stated underlying purpose of Civitas is to deepen public understanding of the legal, institutional and moral framework that makes a free and democratic society possible.
They state that what they do is:
- Support informed public debate and encourage consensus by:
- Providing accurate factual information on today's social issues.
- Publishing informed comment and analysis.
- Bringing together leading protagonists in open discussion.
- Work towards pragmatic solutions to current social problems.
- Implement pioneering projects to demonstrate what can be accomplished.
- Supply schools with teaching materials and guest speakers.
Policy Interests
The think tank describes itself as "classical liberal" and "non-partisan". Its director David G. Green writes occasionally in The Daily Telegraph and its deputy director Anastasia de Waal frequently contributes to the Guardian's Comment is Free.[2] Its areas of policy interest include:
- Crime Civitas authors have argued for more consistent crime policies that straddle the left-right divide, for earlier and pre-emptive interventions with prolific offenders and for crime statistics to be more digestibly and honestly presented. They have also advocated rehabilitating prisoners through drug programmes and vocational education.
- Education Civitas research seeks out an objective view of standards of education in Britain in order to offer an improved perspective on how best to deliver equitable and high standards of education for all. The particular aim is to generate evidence-based policy, with realisable strategies for implementation.
- Family Its authors have examined the impact of social policy and changing social norms in families, looking in particular at family structure and the socioeconomic significance of marriage in the UK.
- Health Civitas authors have called for an end to the NHS's monopoly on public healthcare and greater diversity in the system with the aim of creating a more equitable system for all.
- Immigration Its authors have sought to analyse the pros and cons of mass immigration, including the costs for the public sector and downward pressure on low-paid jobs.
- The Manufacturing Renewal project has been established under the leadership of Ruth Lea to encourage a more balanced economy and especially to explore how best to stimulate manufacturing in order to foster a more resilient economy and to generate jobs across the ability range.
People
- Director: David G. Green
- Deputy Director (Research): Anastasia de Waal
- Director of Civitas Schools: Eleanor Rogerson
- Director of Civitas Health Unit: James Gubb
Ruth Lea is part-time Director of the Manufacturing Renewal Project and Norman Dennis is part-time Director of Community Studies.
Publications
Books
Crime
- The Public and the Police (2008) Harriet Sergeant
- Crime and Civil Society: Can we become a more law-abiding people? (2005) Dr David G. Green, Emma Grove and Nadia A. Martin
- Crimes of the Community: Honour-based Violence in the UK (2007) James Brandon and Salam Hafez
Education
- Liberal Education and the National Curriculum (2010) Prof. David Conway
- Inspecting the Inspectorate: Ofsted Under Scrutiny (2008) Anastasia de Waal
- Corruption of the Curriculum (2007) Robert Whelan
- The Butterfly Book: A Reading and Writing Course (2007) Irina Tyk
- The Butterfly Grammar: A Course for Better English (2008) Irina Tyk and Ed Dovey
Family
- Second Thoughts on the Family (2008) Anastasia de Waal
Health
- Putting Patients Last (2009) Peter Davies, James Gubb and Donald R. Keogh
- Quite Like Heaven? Options for the NHS in a Consumer Age (2007) Nick Seddon and Bernard Ribeiro
Immigration
- A Nation of Immigrants? A brief demographic history of Britain (2007) Prof. David Conway
- Disunited Kingdom (2009) Prof. David Conway
Manufacturing
- Nations Choose Prosperity: Why Britain needs an Industrial Policy (2009) Ruth Lea and David G. Green
Involvement in schools
Civitas provides teaching material and guest speakers for schools, in particular on family structure and on the EU.
Civitas’ EU Project aims to deepen public understanding of the European Union institutions that govern us and to promote political awareness and debate about the EU among students. The project publishes a series of balanced and comprehensive factsheets on the European Union tailored to A-level curricula, which includes supplementary worksheets and monthly updates of events from within the EU. Civitas also arranges high-profile speakers for talks and debates in schools on the subject of the European Union, and hosts an annual National EU conference in London.
The think tank was responsible for setting up the New Model School Company , operating fee-paying primary schools intended to be more affordable than standard private schools. The company now has three schools, the basic premise of them being a "traditional, no frills education".
Civitas also runs Civitas Schools , supplementary schools that run on Saturday mornings and after school hours. The schools teach English and maths to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, emphasising traditional approaches such as phonics. Starting with Bengali children in Bethnal Green, there are now eighteen supplementary schools in King's Cross, Hammersmith, Camberwell, Keighley, Birmingham, Great Yarmouth and Bradford providing classes for approximately 400 children per week.
London Boxing Academy Since 2006 Civitas has been a partner in the London Boxing Academy Community Project which undertakes the education of students who have been excluded from their mainstream schools. The course combines academic work with sport, and aims to help students to achieve success in GCSEs.
Young Civitas for Medics , a new society founded by medical students for medical students, has been launched with the help of the Civitas Health Unit. The society aims to plug a gap in the medical curriculum by providing an open and impartial arena for students to learn how the NHS works and debate the future of health policy
See also
- List of UK think tanks
References
- ^ "The Central Register of Charities". The Charity Commission for England and Wales. http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1085494. Retrieved 10 March 2006.
- ^ About Civitas http://www.civitas.org.uk/books/about.php
External links
Categories:- Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom
- Organizations established in 2000
- Support informed public debate and encourage consensus by:
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