Blog Posts Environment and Net Zero How can governance support net zero pathways that work for local economies? Henry Richards, Senior Futures Lead at The British Academy, explores how democratic governance can empower local economies to navigate complex net zero transitions. Read more Topics: Economy Net zero April 1, 2026
Blog Posts Community Wellbeing Policy interventions to strengthen social cohesion How can the next Welsh Government strengthen social cohesion at a time of increased division and polarisation? Read more Topics: Community collaboration March 25, 2026
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Reducing child poverty in Wales: how much can we rely on paid work? Child poverty in Wales is likely to fall slightly next year. But without deeper change, it will then flatline at a stubbornly high level. Hear from Resolution Foundation Deputy Chief Executive Mike Brewer Read more Topics: Poverty and social exclusion March 19, 2026
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Too many children in Wales are growing up in severe hardship – but the next Welsh Government can turn the tide With around a quarter of families with children in Wales facing hunger, Trussell's Helen Barnard suggests 10 steps the next Welsh Government could take to turn the tide on child poverty Read more Topics: Poverty and social exclusion March 19, 2026
Blog Posts Environment and Net Zero Securing Wales’ share in the just transition Ben Burggraaf, CEO of Net Zero Industry Wales, calls for investment and funding proportionate to Wales’ share of emissions, to help secure a just transition. Read more Topics: Economy Net zero March 16, 2026
Blog Posts Environment and Net Zero Local economic growth that benefits Wales' current and future generations Watch our first Ways Forward webinar hosted by the IWA and hear the reflections of WCPP's Dr Helen Tilley on 'Building prosperous local economies through a just transition'. Read more Topics: Economy Just transition Net zero March 6, 2026
Blog Posts Environment and Net Zero Net zero: Can Wales learn from Scotland? Naomi Mason, Head of Scotland at CLES, charts a positive course for Wales in a place-based, collaborative route to net zero that maximises climate and economic outcomes Read more Topics: Economy Just transition Net zero March 5, 2026
Blog Posts Hope for the year ahead WCPP Director Professor Dan Bristow looks ahead at a busy year for WCPP and our partners. He outlines the importance of the upcoming Senedd election while stressing the broader context of change and uncertainty. Read more February 4, 2026
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Exploring how evidence can help address the temporary accommodation crisis We recently invited Welsh local authorities to submit expressions of interest for evidence support from ourselves and/or from our fellow What Works Centre, the Centre for Homelessness Impact. Read more Topics: Housing and homes January 19, 2026
Blog Posts Research and Impact How to lead an evidence centre Our former Director, Professor Steve Martin shares insights from his research into the leadership of organsations such as ourselves and other What Works Centres that aim to bridge the gap between research and policy making. Read more Research and Impact: The role of KBOs November 3, 2025
Blog Posts Community Wellbeing From evidence to action: Co-creating a resource to strengthen multisector collaboration in Wales We have launched a tender to develop a tool/resource that supports multisector collaborations aimed at improving community wellbeing. Read more July 30, 2025
Blog Posts Research and Impact Four lessons from What Works Centres on understanding impact Eleanor Mackillop shares four lessons in planning, generating and evaluating impact that could benefit all organisations that broker evidence into policy. Read more Research and Impact: Impact Methods and approaches The role of KBOs July 30, 2025
Blog Posts Research and Impact What does it take to lead an evidence intermediary organisation? Professor Steve Martin, Director of the Wales Centre for Public Policy for the centre’s first ten years, sheds some early light on his research into what it takes to lead these organisations – and how this learning could be used to help future leaders of academic-policy engagement initiatives. There is growing recognition of the key […] Read more Research and Impact: Methods and approaches The role of KBOs December 16, 2024
Blog Posts Environment and Net Zero Overcoming the challenges of financing retrofit in the UK: A pathway to net zero Wales and the UK face a significant challenge in ramping up retrofit delivery to meet net zero, fuel poverty and health goals. Currently, across the UK, we retrofit around 250,000 homes per year, but to meet our targets, we need to increase this to 1.5 million homes annually by 2035. This sixfold increase is critical […] Read more Topics: Economy Energy Net zero December 12, 2024
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities More data and earlier focus key to tackling post-16 tertiary education inequalities The creation of Medr, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, represents a step change in the organisation of post-16 education and training in Wales. This blog discusses some of the main challenges facing policy makers on post-16 education and training in Wales. This includes relatively low levels of higher education participation, lower levels of […] Read more Topics: Diversity and inclusion Education inequalities Poverty and social exclusion November 6, 2024
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Widening participation and transforming lives: What works? The wicked problem of widening participation. Despite years of increasing and widening participation strategies, there is evidence of widening inequality gaps and growing divergences in educational opportunities and outcomes across countries. In every country where data is available, participation in higher levels of education continues to be unequal from a social background perspective. A recent […] Read more Topics: Diversity and inclusion Education inequalities November 5, 2024
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Equity in tertiary education in Wales - an adult perspective Understanding inequity in tertiary education. Here, Joshua Miles, of the Learning and Work Institute, gives his perspective on the data analysis undertaken by ADR Wales and the findings of WCPP's evidence review. A key role and opportunity for Medr The introduction of Medr, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research has the potential to dramatically […] Read more Topics: Diversity and inclusion Education inequalities November 4, 2024
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Tackling inequity in tertiary education Responding to WCPP’s latest publications on Understanding Inequity in Tertiary Education, in a series of thinkpieces, leading education experts have called for action to reduce inequalities during compulsory education; further assessment of the potential of contextualised admissions; and for Medr to take a whole sector leadership role in valuing all facets of tertiary education including […] Read more Topics: Diversity and inclusion Education inequalities October 25, 2024
Blog Posts Research and Impact Understanding impact across the UK's What Works Network All What Works Centres (WWCs) aim to have impact by getting evidence into policy and/or practice. However, because every Centre has different aims, practices, audiences, funding models, staffing levels and size, their understanding of impact, and how they measure and communicate their impact, can differ. Our preliminary research based on interviews with WWCs and their […] Read more Research and Impact: Impact Methods and approaches The role of KBOs October 7, 2024
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Working together to tackle poverty stigma in Wales – five key insights Over the last 12 months, the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) has been exploring what poverty stigma is, where it comes from, why it matters, what works to address it and, what we at WCPP can do to enable decision makers to access evidence that informs their actions to prevent and address poverty stigma, […] Read more Topics: Lived experience Local government Poverty and social exclusion September 10, 2024
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities Shining a light on poverty stigma The devastating impact of the stigma of poverty has been long established. It is known to worsen people’s mental health, leads to people not claiming all the benefits they are entitled to and increases the risk of children being absent from school. Until recently, relatively little was known about the prevalence of the stigma in […] Read more Topics: Lived experience Poverty and social exclusion September 4, 2024
Blog Posts Tackling Inequalities 'Framing' not blaming I qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 1991 and worked with children and their families for the next 16 years. I became increasingly frustrated at the daily challenges of making a sufficient impact with the little time and resources I had. When the opportunity came to apply for the post of Flying Start […] Read more Topics: Poverty and social exclusion August 14, 2024
Blog Posts Community Wellbeing A shared sense of purpose drives successful multisector collaboration – lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic During the COVID-19 pandemic, voluntary and community sector organisations became more visible than ever before. With deep roots into the communities they serve, these organisations were able to draw on local knowledge and existing infrastructure to reach those who needed help the most. A report by Locality (2020) highlighted the role of community organisations as […] Read more Topics: Community collaboration August 5, 2024
