Articles and Speeches
Articles
Progress online - A new vision of active citizenship
11 Mar 2010
"The hard reality of spending cuts is forcing us to re-think what public services are and should be. Lets embrace the possibility of radical change, argues Sam McLean"......
Charlotte Higgins on culture - Under the microscope: Tory policy on arts
19 Jan 2010
"Here's my report on the speech Jeremy Hunt gave at the Royal Society for Arts/Arts Council England's State of the Arts conference in London on Thursday."...
The Times - Conservatives interrupt arts flirtation with cuts warning
15 Jan 2010
"Jeremy Hunt told an audience of arts leaders that it should expect cuts to its government funding and then appeared to challenge the role of Arts Council England (ACE) to help to shape national arts strategy"...
The Independent - The state of the arts
15 Jan 2010
Arifa Akbar finds out what leading figures are thinking about the state of the arts...
Telegraph - Arts funding could be cut under Tories
15 Jan 2010
"Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, has admitted that a Conservative government might cut arts funding."...
The Guardian - Arts funding cuts proposed by Conservatives
15 Jan 2010
"Shadow culture secretary says Tory government would introduce administrative cost limits and encourage US-style philanthropy"...
Times Online - Is home ownership the way out of poverty?
27 Nov 2009
Philippa Stroud and Matthew Taylor debate about home ownership as a way out of poverty...
The Times - Conferences: what a waste of money
27 Nov 2009
How can we make public sector events work better? Matthew Taylor writes about one way to save the public purse a pile of money....
TES - RSA chief leads 'progressive' values fight-back
13 Nov 2009
"Matthew Taylor calls for ‘broad coalition’ of parents, pupils, teachers and others to take on ‘back to basics’"...
TES - New progressivism is a cause to fight for
13 Nov 2009
A Tory government would favour going back to basics, but schools should strive for a more inventive curriculum, writes Matthew Taylor....
The Times - For Left and Right, the answer is in our heads
29 Oct 2009
Matthew Taylor writes that the latest scientific research shows we are not as rational as we think, and we can use this insight to develop a new politics...
Times Series - Mike Freer quizzed on Radio 4 over Future Shape proposals
21 Oct 2009
Leader of Barnet Council Mike Freer went on national radio to defend the new easyCouncil model ahead of an important decision on the future of council services. Joined by Matthew Taylor...
Guardian - Labour drive to make services more efficient
20 Oct 2009
Billions of pounds can be saved by ending duplication in the delivery of public services, says Communities Secretary John Denham in a speech at the RSA...
The Guardian - Help people help themselves
08 Oct 2009
We need to turn public services inside out to make our money go further, but it could be an opportunity for invention and progress...
Guardian Public - The search for clumsy solutions
01 Oct 2009
Matthew Taylor writes about the rise of behaviour change, the four paradigms of cultural theory and behaviour change in a cold climate...
BBC News - Annual pension fee 'can cost 40 percent'
26 Sep 2009
"Annual fees on a pension of 1.5% a year can reduce its value by nearly 40%, the RSA has said. Its report analysed the effect of the annual fee on the fund and the pension produced"...
Evening Standard blog - Why Clegg is wrong on universal benefits
23 Sep 2009
"The new RSA poll showing that in fact many voters are not all that keen on spending cuts (when they affect them personally) underlines the mistake Clegg could be making with his core supporters"...
Guardian Society - Tax is better than the axe for child benefit
23 Sep 2009
"Another new survey, from the RSA, suggests deep doubts about whether retrenchment really is needed, underlining how much depends on the way questions are phrased, and suggesting that middle-class voters may be less than willing to accept real, as opposed to rhetorical, pain"...
Investors Chronicle - Crippled at birth
23 Sep 2009
"The RSA believes that N-Pen represents a huge opportunity to improve the miserable lot of defined contribution pension savers. And indeed it is, provided that the government does not cripple it at birth"...
Prospect - Left brain, right brain
23 Sep 2009
"Brain and behaviour research is increasingly being incorporated into political and policy debate in Britain. It is forcing both left and right to re-examine old assumptions"...
The Telegraph - State pension will be linked to earnings despite cuts, Tories say
23 Sep 2009
"The RSA said that people should be allowed to put more of their cash into the new personal accounts, which will become the official state second pension in 2012"...
LGC - Public 'in denial' about spending cuts
22 Sep 2009
"Half of all people surveyed for the RSA do not believe there is a need to cut spending on public services in order to pay off the national debt"...
The Great Debate - Does the Internet empower or censor?
22 Sep 2009
"The Internet can actually inhibit rather than empower civil society, Morozov, argued in a lecture on Tuesday at London’s RSA"...
Professional Pensions - Personal accounts will not protect against poverty in retirement
22 Sep 2009
"The government will fail to protect millions of Britons from poverty in old age unless it makes vital changes to the way in which it plans to introduce personal accounts, a RSA report says"...
Money Marketing - Report slams £3,600 personal account contribution limit
22 Sep 2009
"The RSA has critisised the £3,600 annual contribution limit outlined for personal accounts"...
The Times - No sign of rush to claim pension gold in 2012
22 Sep 2009
"With £10 billion or so a year expected to flow into the new Personal Accounts, this a volume game where the benefits must accrue to the customers. There is one tweak that could make a difference, the RSA points out"...
Financial Times Blog - Low costs crucial for pension savings
22 Sep 2009
"Pension saving is too expensive. According to a report from the RSA, up to 40 per cent of pension savings disappear in fees and costs under the UK’s current system of private pension provision"...
The Evening Standard - Pensions Need the Personal Touch
22 Sep 2009
"For more than five years now, some of the most original thinking in finance has come in reports from Tomorrow's Investor, a project that operates under the umbrella of the RSA"...
The Times - Failed leadership makes tough choices tougher
21 Sep 2009
"Voters believe politicians can shield them from the worst of the cuts. What’s needed is a reality check about the pain ahead"...
Inside Housing - Ideas for social landlords
20 Sep 2009
Matthew Taylor puts forward interesting ideas about how social housing should be innovating - such as concentrating on changing tenants’ lives...
The Times - Time to face up to public finances at the next election
15 Sep 2009
The independent Commission on Public Services, set up by the RSA, will publish its proposals after the election, and it is already attracting interest from both Labour and the Conservatives....
The Guardian - Tony Blair's justification of faith
08 Sep 2009
So to watch Tony Blair talking about faith and development at the RSA last night. What he said made a lot of sense, but the interest was really in the man himself...
The Times - Blair warns of 'dark side' of religion
08 Sep 2009
Mr Blair, speaking at the Royal Society for the Arts in London, said that in recent years most mainstream religions had been “prey” to the influence of extremist groups...
The Guardian - In control? Think again. Our ideas of brain and human nature are myths
24 Aug 2009
"Matt Grist, who runs the RSA's Social Brain project, concludes that both the right and the left have lessons to learn"...
The Guardian - David Cameron's guru Nassim Nicholas Taleb says rich should not pay more tax to help the poor
20 Aug 2009
"The remarks by Taleb, the conservative author of the Black Swan, were made at the Royal Society for the Enlightenment of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce"...
The New Statesman - Britain Could Default on its Debt, says Cameron
19 Aug 2009
"Highlighting record levels of borrowing, as he spoke at the Royal Society of Arts in London, Cameron accused the government of taking unnecessary risks"...
LGC - Life lessons leading to transformation
13 Aug 2009
"The RSA has been working with three secondary schools in Manchester to develop an area-based curriculum"...
Design Week - On a social mission
23 Jul 2009
"The RSA is becoming a real force for change, as borne out by its new Design & Society manifesto"...
The Guardian - Can an artist's wheatfield in Hackney switch the mood on climate change?
12 Jul 2009
"Art can initiate and broker the conversations, it can shift preconceptions, argues Michaela Crimmin whose Arts and Ecology programme at the RSA has been the quiet powerhouse facilitating projects all over the country"...
LGC - Engaging youth in politics
02 Jul 2009
"It goes without saying that our political system is at low ebb. MPs’ expenses, the Damien McBride affair and a low turnout in the European elections add up to a depressing picture"...
TES - Welcome words, but scholars want action
02 Jul 2009
"In a speech to the Royal Society of Arts last week, Mr Lammy argued in favour of "a modern take on the broad medieval conception of higher learning, in which the study of language or music should sit happily side by side with the study of maths or science""...
Times Online - Home ownership for all is a low-rent idea
01 Jul 2009
Matthew Taylor writes that renting shouldn’t make us second-class citizens and that we must shake off our obsession with climbing the property ladder...
The Guardian - A new plan for schools - but who pays, and who will be the enforcer?
01 Jul 2009
"the speech Gove made at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) would be unimaginable from Andrew Lansley. Mocking the dumbing down of target-driven state education and the widening "apartheid" gap with private schools, Gove accused Labour of betraying underprivileged children"...
Design Week - RSA calls for change in design education
25 Jun 2009
"The RSA is calling for design education to focus more on the design of services and move away from what it says is an emphasis on product and industrial design"...
The Guardian - Reform should begin by cutting the number of ministers
24 Jun 2009
Comment is free: Matthew Taylor and Ben Lucas believe that cost-cutting changes to public services should start with slimming down central government...
TES - Arts are as vital as sciences, says Lammy
24 Jun 2009
"Mr Lammy argued that the arts and humanities were no less important than science and technology, adding that he wanted to move beyond the “sterility” of a “two cultures” debate"...
The Guardian - Minister pledges to promote arts and humanities degrees
24 Jun 2009
"David Lammy, the higher education minister, defended government support for degrees in the arts and humanities today, amid widespread concern that the decision to protect science funding has been damaging to these subjects"...
BBC News - Labour dividing lines 'need more subtlety'
22 Jun 2009
Matthew Taylor assesses how Labour must temper its public spending message in the run up to the next election...
The Telegraph - Academy schools to teach team work and creative thinking
16 Jun 2009
"A chain of academy schools is rowing back on traditional subject teaching to instruct children in creative thinking, team work and managing their time. The move follows the introduction of a similar curriculum drawn up by the Royal Society for the Arts being used in 204 secondary schools"...
The Independent - The Big Question: Is Britain finally on the verge of a digital revolution?
16 Jun 2009
"Lord Carter will stand up this afternoon at the RSA in London to present his vision for Britain's digital future. It promises to provide a long-term blueprint to overhaul Britain's digital infrastructure"...
The Times - We've never had it so good. Why then are we so downhearted?
16 Jun 2009
Matthew Taylor argues that the better future waiting for us will only come about if we acknowledge the ways current thinking and behaviour are failing us...
Local Government Chronicle - Reports urge radical services re-think
10 Jun 2009
Efficiency savings and Treasury-led cost-management strategies will not be enough to maintain satisfactory levels of service in the public, according to reports by the influential RSA...
Public Magazine - Culture shock
10 Jun 2009
"With the planned cuts in public service spending and the drive to more efficiency, those managing assets or property are going to have to adopt a new radical approach"...
BBC News - Interactive plant's design award
22 May 2009
RSA Design Directions Awards - "A design student from Swansea has won a £1,000 national award for a system that monitors domestic energy use"...
Local Government Chronicle - Mobilising society’s networks
14 May 2009
A critical factor determining whether councils are able to shield their citizens from the worst effects of public service austerity will be their ability to sustain and enhance civic capacity, writes Matthew Taylor...
Resolution Foundation - Ageism is deep-seated (external PDF)
01 May 2009
Ageism is deep-seated but now is the time to tackle it, writes Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, RSA...
Growing communities with gardens
20 Apr 2009
Urban spaces everywhere are being turned into community vegetable patches. Arts and Ecology web editor William Shaw charts the rise of the ultimate grassroots movement in the Observer...
The Guardian - On the wall
05 Apr 2009
"But a real London art secret is the great cycle of history paintings by James Barry in the Royal Society of Arts on John Adam Street, off the Strand"...
London Evening Standard - How to kickstart Games legacy, by Blair's ex-aide
04 Mar 2009
"I was delighted when London won the 2012 bid with the promise this would be an inclusive Olympics. It was with growing dismay that I watched the failure to deliver"...
The Guardian - Trial produces encouraging results for backers of personal carbon budgets
03 Feb 2009
RSA forecasts scheme to encourage individuals to cut their global warming emissions could be in place in just over a decade...
The Independent - Matthew Taylor: Brown should declare a ceasefire
26 Jan 2009
"Today's poll confirms the Brown bounce was of the dead cat variety. The talk in Government is of being on election footing but unless Labour's strategists are willing to respond to dangerous times with bold ways of thinking"...
London Evening Standard - Siphoning off investment gains
17 Dec 2008
"Tomorrow's Investor - a project backed by the Royal Society of Arts - points out that roughly 40% of the money people save and invest for their pensions goes in charges to fund managers, brokers and intermediaries"...
Times Online - Top pension figure David Pitt-Watson admits 40 per cent of funds goes in fees
17 Dec 2008
"One of the most senior figures in the fund management industry has broken ranks and admitted that up to 40 per cent of private-sector pension pots are swallowed up in fees"...
The Independent - Brave new world: Traditional classrooms, lessons - and even homework - have been expelled
12 Nov 2008
"Tony Blair's vision of academies as innovative and free from state control became a reality last week"...
Times Online - RSA Academy with three-hour lessons opens
04 Nov 2008
"It was opened today by the Duke of Edinburgh. Pupils will be taught a curriculum known as Opening Minds, which encourages them to develop life skills covering five main areas: citizenship, learning, managing information, managing situations and relating to people"...
Investors Chronicle - Tomorrow's investors should demand accountability
23 Oct 2008
As the financial system goes into a meltdown, the pendulum is swinging back towards the interventionist state, Matthew Taylor writes in Investors Chronicle...
BBC News - Duke officially opens two schools
04 Oct 2008
"Prince Philip was in Tipton to visit Summerhill Primary School and the RSA Academy, which has three-hour lessons and five terms"...
The Guardian - Behaviour battleground
17 Sep 2008
"Whether trying to get us to give up smoking or stop carrying knives, politicians want to make us mend our ways. But will we listen?"...
The Guardian - New term, new start in Labour's academy schools revolution
11 Sep 2008
"At the best of times the first lesson after the long summer holidays can feel unending. But at the RSA academy in Tipton that feeling may be more justified, because the lessons are three hours long"...
Ethos - Behaviour battles
01 Sep 2008
"Whether persuading us to give up smoking or stop carrying knives, politicians are making behaviour change a goal of policy. But will it make us mend our ways?"...
The Guardian - Likeability to electability
17 Jul 2008
"Comment is free: The political winds blow in Cameron's favour, but he may yet be dismissed as a policy-free pessimist"...
New Statesman - Why life is good
03 Jan 2008
A dangerous gap exists between our personal experience, which is mainly happy, and our view of a society in decline...
The Independent - Man on a mission: Can Matthew Taylor fix our schools?
22 Mar 2007
Matthew Taylor used to advise the Prime Minister on strategy. Now he has turned his attention to schools. He tells Hilary Wilce why...
Speeches
Tough times for shareholders - Matthew Taylor at UK Social Investment Fund event
05 Nov 2008
"This has not been a good year for shareholders... I am talking about the failure of shareholders to control their representatives"...
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