National Institute of Economic and Social Research

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research is Britain’s longest established independent research institute, founded in 1938. The vision of our founders was to carry out research to improve understanding of the economic and social forces that affect people’s lives, and the ways in which policy can bring about change. Seventy-five years later, this remains central to NIESR’s ethos. We continue to apply our expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methods and our understanding of economic and social issues to current debates and to influence policy.

The Institute is independent of all party political interests. We receive no core funding from government and are not affiliated to any single university, although our staff regularly undertake projects in collaboration with leading academic institutions.

Institute staff are organised into four groups: macroeconomics and finance; employment; productivity, innovation and skills; and labour markets and disadvantage. We carry out research across 18 themes, which bring together researchers across the four groups, with expertise in a range of research methods, including quantitative and qualitative approaches. Our research themes reflect key areas of policy. They include health and well-being, policy evaluation, welfare, migration, inequality poverty and disadvantage, families early years and early intervention, education training and skills and employment policy and practice.