Cassilis

Welcome to this weeks Think Tank Roundup - a little shorter than usual, a symptom of how busy I am rather than how prolific the think tanks have been. As ever please flag anything worthy you think I might have missed...

The Institute for Public Policy Research

• Interesting paper on alternative ways to tackle youth crime from Julia Margo and Alex Stevens. Rather than the current punitive approach the paper suggests “a more therapeutic and family-based approach to youth offending. The arguments for the proposed approach appear persuasive – not only on humanitarian grounds, but also in terms of economics and efficacy.”
• Ian Kearns and Ken Gude on the changing context for National Security policy. As well as the more obvious drivers like terrorism the paper assesses the relevance of things like climate change, failing states and globalisation to security policy.And finally from the IPPR.
• Rick Muir adds his thoughts to the row over oaths of allegiance. Despite being on the liberal-left Muir thinks the rush to condemn may have been too hasty and the value of some sort of ceremonial end to citizenship education may have been overlooked. “So, no to monarchical oaths and saluting flags - but yes to making more of what, in a democracy, should be a significant event.”

The Henry Jackson Society

• Worthwhile paper from the hawkish US think tank on what Israeli intelligence has termed ‘2008: The Year of Iran’ – “the international community must retain its resolve in pressuring Iran. It can start by getting stronger with the sanctions and increasing the pressure in the future. If these latest rounds of sanctions are do not keep Tehran up at night, they probably aren’t enough.”
• HSJ also carries a short piece by Murdoch’s ‘economist-in-residence’ Irwin Seltzer sounding a cautionary note for any of us brits being swept along with ‘Obamamania’ – “Britain can prosper economically only in a world in which trade barriers are low, capital and brains can move freely in and out of its myriad financial institutions, and immigrants can easily cross its borders, bringing brawn not available from a native work force that finds welfare benefits more attractive than pay checks. Obama, of course, has promised to opt out of NAFTA if the Mexicans and Canadians do not amend it to suit his trade union backers, to refuse to support any new trade agreements, and to put the Doha free-trade round on ice.”

Elsewhere of interest:

• On Compass Jonathan Rutherford has a great piece on how discussions about migration & race (witness the BBC ‘White’ season) are usually proxy discussions for class and inequality.
• On the Civitas / Centre for Social Cohesion blog David Conway reports on an Inauspicious Start for the Year of Intercultural Dialogue
• Demos flags a couple of seminars it’s hosting under the banner ‘The Cultural Age’ - aimed at investigating how policy-makers can link up with academics to understanding how complex cultural issues can be brought into different policy areas.

Labels: Think Tank Roundups