Research Teams

Introduction

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The focus of ippr’s Global Change programme is both the impact of UK policies or actions on global issues, and the impact of global issues on the UK. Reflecting ippr’s core values, the aim is to produce research to inform policies that can drive global change that is sustainable, fair, democratic and secure for all.

At the heart of the Global Change programme is rigorous, politically informed and pragmatic research and advocacy. We provide answers to the question: what can the UK do to transform the nature of globalisation, directly, through our membership of regional and global institutions, and in broader partnerships with others?

Global change is constantly in flux, with new issues and problems continually emerging. Our aim is to stay informed, and open to new ideas and approaches.

View current projects

View ippr researchers working on this programme

The context to our projects and thinking

The society, environment and economy we live in today are deeply affected by what is happening around the world. The UK has historically had an open economy, with strong international trade and investment links. Despite the crisis, London is still one of the world’s leading financial centres, and at the same time Europe’s most multicultural city. British society more widely has been transformed over the last 50 years by successive waves of migrants, bringing new ideas, cultures and faiths. Our relationships with some other countries and regions – with Europe and the USA especially - are particularly important and have had a dominant impact not only on what we do, but also on how we are seen by others.

At the same time, the UK’s place in the world is changing. Our history and our membership of the Europe Union give us some important opportunities to shape global processes and we have a significant voice in many key global institutions, such as the G8, the G20, the UN Security Council and the IMF. But the shift in power from West to East will profoundly affect our place in the world, as will the fallout from the bursting of the credit bubble.

And while many in the UK have gained considerably economically, socially and culturally from globalisation, it has also brought risks and new threats. Some citizens have fared less well in an increasingly globalised economy, which has driven greater inequality. Being at the centre of global financial markets has meant we have been particularly badly hit by the financial crisis. Migration has produced social stresses and tensions. We are more vulnerable to disease, crime and terrorism, which have also successfully globalised. And globalisation has accelerated the growth of carbon emissions that are driving the biggest global problem of all – climate change.