PASOS/OSI communications workshop

24th May 2010 Tim Finch, Director of Strategic

Communications, ippr

“We pride ourselves on a track record of coming up with smart ideas and practical solutions based on sound evidence, using these to stimulate debates at all levels of society around the most important policy areas, and engaging with those holding power and influence so that new thinking can be put into practice.”

who are we talking to?

The role of the Communications Strategy

• to stimulate debates at all levels of society• and engage with those holding power and

influence

so that…

• new thinking can be put into practice

Think Tanks and communications

“A good think tank is a mixture of nerds and hacks”

What have busy policy makers got time to read and digest?

This?

Or this?

Or even this?

The public discourse in the UK around net migration is increasingly polarised

There’s a huge row in

Britain about immigrant numbers

• The communications strategy is owned and lived by all in the think tank

• We don’t start a research project without thinking about the communications outputs

• The communications outputs don’t all need to come at the end of the project

ippr – the first 21 years • Closely associated with the dominant

political project• A ‘revolving door to power’ • New Labour’s favourite think tank • Ideas clearly influential • Importance to external audiences

obvious

Strengths •Track Record •Experience

•Pockets of expertise •Hardened, battle scarred

•Trust •Trustees and PAC

•Brand Strength

Weaknesses •New Labour tag

•Diminishing influence •Lack of profile (co-directors in

particular) •Spread to thin

•Lack of definition •Some loss of expertise

•Morale

Opportunities •Conservatives short of ideas

•Conservatives quickly in trouble •Ippr seen as obvious place to renew

the progressive agenda •Key subject areas high on agenda

Threats •Frozen out by Conservatives

•New think tank emerges to challenge for progressive (centre left) space •Loss of engagement with critical

figures in Labour •Loss of confidence from key funders

•Ignored by media

Where we want to be

The Contested Space

The place for renewal of progressive thinking

Independent, radical, progressive

• It is underpinned by the following principles:

• Combating inequality

• Empowering citizens 

• Promoting social responsibility

• Creating a sustainable economy

• Revitalising democracy  

New politics Coalition a space for new thinking

Two big figures but throughout the project they were invisible and silent

NEW ERA ECONOMICS

• The new ippr flagship project