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Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

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How to make good things happen

Global lessons for UK policymakers

With a new government in place, a policy refresh is on the horizon. But poor institutional memory and failure to learn from other countries’ experiences can lead to policy failures and substandard outcomes.

In our new event series, we look at successful policies from around the world that have made good things happen. From the rollout of heat pumps in Sweden to public service leadership and governance in Singapore, we’re gathering global experts to learn about successful policy interventions that have moved the dial on big social issues and explore how they might be applicable in the UK.

Here’s what we’ve learnt so far on how to make good things happen around the world:

England’s teenage pregnancy strategy: this session explored how strategic interventions can dramatically improve public health outcomes. Moira Wallace, who led the Social Exclusion Unit’s original strategy, joined us to reflect on its success in reducing teenage pregnancy rates and the broader lessons for public health campaigns.
Sweden’s heat pumps: with a high adoption rate of heat pumps, Sweden has demonstrated how targeted policies and incentives can drive decarbonisation in heating systems. A panel of experts from industry, policy and research joined us to deep dive into Sweden’s approach and how it might be adopted elsewhere.
England’s Sure Start: we were joined by the first director of Sure Start to examine this early intervention programme and uncover insights into designing and delivering impactful services for children and families.
Singapore’s approach to governance and public service leadership: we heard from report authors from BIT to find out how Singapore’s effective public service model, policy design and long-term scenario planning could be applied to the UK government

Find out more in our insights reports below.

Coming up in the series

The UK furlough scheme successfully protected millions of jobs and enabled the economy to restart after COVID-19 restrictions. It paid 11 million salaries and saved 3.25 million jobs. This session, led by Tim Leunig, the inventor of the scheme, will explore key lessons, including the importance of robust data for effective implementation and designing policies that target the right groups—ensuring support reaches those in need while minimising misuse. The discussion will also focus on how these principles can be applied universally to other policy areas and global challenges, demonstrating how well-designed interventions can be adapted to different contexts and needs.

Inspired by Scandinavian prisons, a prison wing just outside Philadelphia focuses on rehabilitation and reintegration through the principle of normalisation—making prison life as close to normal life as possible. This model has reduced violence, improved staff morale, and halved the use of restricted housing for rule violations. The session will examine the challenges and opportunities of adopting such an approach in the UK, where overcrowding, poor conditions, and high reoffending rates call for bold reforms.

Amsterdam’s city government has led one of the longest-running, well-funded childhood obesity reduction programmes globally, focusing on improving children’s health outcomes. This session explores their systemic approach, which targets environments and behaviours in parallel and involves strong cross-party political support and cross-sector collaboration. The discussion will unpack key takeaways for the UK, including balancing prevention and treatment, targeting environments with impactful interventions, and embedding solutions into municipal policy.

More events in the series are to be announced.

If you are interested in our upcoming events and want more information, contact us: at [email protected].

Part of

UK 2040: Options