ResPublica (from the Latin phrase, res publica, meaning 'public thing' or 'commonwealth') is a British independent public policy think tank, founded in 2009, by Phillip Blond.[1][2] It describes itself as a multi-disciplinary, non-party political research organisation, whose aim is the creation of bold solutions for enduring socioeconomic problems.[3]
ResPublica's ideas are founded on the principles of a post-liberal vision of the future, which moves beyond the traditional political dichotomies of left and right, prioritising the common good.[4]
History
Founder Phillip Blond speaking at a ResPublica event in 2018
David Cameron, then the Leader of the Opposition, spoke at ResPublica's launch in 2009 and, at that time, Philip Blond was said to be a major influence on him.[5]
Phillip Blond is Director of ResPublica.[6] Until 2017, Max Wind-Cowie was Deputy Director for ResPublica North.[7]
In 2011, ResPublica was forced to make staff redundant after financial troubles resulted in their inability to pay their rent for a time. Philip Blond was later criticised in the media over claims he 'raided' the coffers of his own think tank to pursue a jet-set lifestyle.[8]
ResPublica's report "To Buy, To Bid, To Build: Community Rights for an Asset Owning Democracy", launched on 15 November 2010, listed strategies for privatisating underperforming public sector built assets.[11][12][13]Greg Clark MP, Minister of State for Decentralisation at the Department for Communities and Local Government, spoke at the launch, which was hosted at NESTA with the support of the Development Trusts Association.
In November 2013, the motion "to move that this House takes note of the July 2013 report of ResPublica 'Holistic Mission: Social Action and the Church of England'", which was proposed by the then Lord Bishop of Leicester, Tim Stevens, was debated in the House of Lords.[15]
In July 2014, ResPublica's report 'Virtuous Banking: Restoring ethos and purpose to the heart of finance' was launched at the Financial Times by Sir Richard Lambert, Chair of the Banking Standards Review council.[16] The report featured proposals for a 'Bankers' Oath', which was widely reported in the media.[17]
In February 2015, ResPublica published 'Restoring Britain's City States: Devolution, public service reform and local economic growth' at the UK Devolution Summit, jointly hosted by ResPublica and The Core Cities.[19][20][21][22]
In November 2015, ResPublica's interim report 'The Care Collapse: The imminent crisis in residential care and its impact on the NHS'[23] was released (followed up by 'Care After Cure: Creating a fast track pathway from hospitals to homes'[24]), which projected that the loss of care home beds would cost the NHS £3 billion. Later, the government released further funds for the sector in the 2015 Autumn Statement.[25]
Funding
In 2018, before its reorganisation in 2019, ResPublica was rated as 'broadly transparent' in its funding by Transparify.[26] In November 2022, the funding transparency website Who Funds You? gave ResPublica an E grade, the lowest transparency rating (rating goes from A to E).[27]
