About
Creating a fairer, more equal and more commonsense Britain.
Based at Northumbria University, the Common Sense Policy Group is a coalition of academics, policymakers, third sector leaders, community representatives, media figures and people with lived experience. We share one aim: a fairer, more equal and more commonsense Britain.
Inequality and exclusion have come to shape too much of national life. We develop and promote redistributive policies to tackle them, grounded in evidence and built to win public backing.
Why ‘Common Sense’?
Our approach is commonsense because it returns to what our forebears recognised after the horrors of the Great Depression and the Second World War: that people need economic security to live good lives that benefit themselves, their communities and society as a whole. This contrasts with the fanciful, utopian thinking that has dominated policy since the 1980s and resulted in a greater and greater proportion of resources going to a smaller and smaller proportion of people.
What we do:
Research:
We study how existing systems affect people’s lives and assess the benefits that alternatives could bring.
Engagement and impact:
We work with partners and produce accessible outputs that turn research into real-world change.
Policy:
We develop evidence-based proposals on the major challenges of our time and test them for public popularity, feasibility and affordability.
Our people:
The group is chaired by Matthew Johnson (Professor of Public Policy, Northumbria University). Our core operational team is based at Northumbria University and includes Public Affairs Lead Elliott Johnson (Professor of Public Policy and Vice Chancellor's Fellow), Comms Lead Anna Thew (Research Fellow) and Economics Lead Howard Reed (Professor of Public Policy).
Get in touch:
Policy, collaboration and public affairs: Professor Elliott Johnson, elliott.johnson@northumbria.ac.uk
Media enquiries: Anna Thew, anna.thew@northumbria.ac.uk
All other enquiries: Professor Matthew Johnson, matthew.johnson@northumbria.ac.uk