Following on from our publication Building Character on parenting and early years, Demos is building the case for ‘character’ as the key to life chances.

Demos has embarked on a new research project exploring the influence of parenting in character development of children and the link between character, life chances, and well-being.

Demos is undertaking a year-long research project focused on children aged 7-16 who are already displaying signs of being at risk of social exclusion and deprivation in later life.

Wishful Thinking delves into the hopes and dreams of everyday Britain, discovering that in the face of collective pessimism, as individuals we are positive, pragmatic and generous in our wishes and expectations.

This research explores what is meant by quality in the field of children and young people's cultural production. It investigates what 'high quality' or 'quality' means to those working within and with Creative Partnerships, namely within the education and cultural sectors.

This project aims to identify an effective cross-border approach to tackling forced marriage in Britain.

This project explores the tensions, hidden assumptions and challenges to the ideals and institutions that make open societies.

This research will look at the potential benefits of a British international citizen service, investigating how it can be integrated into Big Society initiatives and increase civic engagement.

The project will explore the possibilities for a new politics of work.

A landmark project on everyday power shows how far we have to travel to become a nation of powerful people.

This project will feature a 'People's Inquiry' to explore people's attitudes to the use of their personal information. It will use the outcomes from the deliberative groups to develop practical ideas for matching public expectations and personal information policy.

Tackling the causes of risks and the drivers of insecurity is complex, time consuming and rarely has an immediate or obvious impact.

This pamphlet calls for a radical rethink of resilience. Instead of structures and centralised services, it argues that citizens and communities are the true source of resilience for our society. People must learn adapt and work together to make Britain a resilient nation.

Counter terrorism policy is increasingly about preventing violent extremism before it arises but we are still a long way from understanding what that appeal is. This think-piece explores some explanations which are often overlooked.

Public diplomacy – diplomacy directed at people rather than other diplomats – is vital for tackling global risks like climate change, terrorism or HIV obliterate geographic, disciplinary and organisational borders. This project explores how governments can equip themselves to operate effectively in this new context.

This Demos collection will highlight new thinking about privacy in the UK, and seek to address the future challenges of the privacy agenda in an increasingly open society.

Thinking about the future is tough – it’s all too easy to take a fatalistic approach and assume there’s nothing we can do to shape impersonal global forces, or to cling to ‘official’ versions of the future set out in government visions and policy documents.

John Grant and Tony Manwaring, two senior Demos associates, are working with us to produce a pamphlet about leading change in modern networked organisations.

Children’s access to the public realm is currently heavily restricted – as much by physical barriers as by adult attitudes and anxieties. As heavy investment in play provision is currently set to deliver physical improvements, there is a need to address the wider social, cultural and political context in which the children’s public realm is being shaped.

2006 was the year of the eco-issue, Priuses on back-order, "An Inconvenient Truth" and Arnold Schwarzenegger's green coup. But is sustainability’s new look only skin deep?

Culture Online has pioneered a project-based approach to bring new audiences to arts and culture using new technology. In this it differs significantly from the portal approach of many cultural websites. Demos is working with Culture Online to place their achievement in a wider context of policy development, and to articulate lessons for practitioners and policymakers.

This project looks at the role social housing providers can play in helping people back to independent living following a period in hospital.

Demos is currently looking at how social housing providers can act as co-ordinators and hubs for support and earlier intervention for their clients.

This project will focus on school-to-work transition: how our education and training systems are preparing young people for employment.

The London Olympics are on track to regenerate a vast swathe of East London, turning a poisonsed industrial site into the biggest new park since Hyde Park, but how will Londoners really benefit and have the goals been met?

Smart city technologies promise to make cities more efficient, liveable and productive. There are real implementation challenges on introducing new technologies at scale in an established city. What are the costs and benefits for London?

Despite being one of the most prosperous cities in the world, London has among the UK’s highest rates of worklessness: one in three working age Londoners is out-of-work. What will be the impact of welfare reforms on London and how London can get the best from this new system? How can models of localism and devolution boost employment in the capital?

This project focusses on access to higher education in London's schools and boroughs and looks at high skills as a key economic driver. 

The Thames is one of London's greatest assets but also presents one of its more pressing challenges. How can improvements to the quality of the architecture and public spaces, and more use of the banks and the river itself be financed, managed and delivered?

The plans for East London Tech City have generated a good deal of excitement. But the way ahead is far from clear. This project looks at how these plans can be best achieved, by comparing East London to other international tech based regenerations and by talking directly to entreprenuers.