The Centre aims to address contemporary social issues of public interest, carrying out authoritative, research on central social issues which draws upon interdisciplinary expertise [1] in economics, politics and sociology and related disciplines such as social policy.[2] A particular focus is on examining social progress in Britain[3] and to this aim, the Centre has undertaken research covering topics including crime,[4] education,[5] social capital,[6][7] life expectancy,[8] corruption,[9] food insecurity [10] and Beveridge’s ‘five giants’.[11][12] The Centre also undertakes research on inequalities,[13] including those relating to gender,[14] ethnicity [15][16][17] and class.[18] The Centre has a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary work and rigorous methods, ranging from quantitative research to field experiments.