Research and policy

This project was one of several partnerships with University College Dublin to explore the impact of ‘missed care’ in community nursing. Just Economics provided support on the economic component of the study, which included estimates of the cost of missed care and the identification of those costs through focus groups with nurses.

There is an established need for women-oriented services, particularly in relation to violence, abuse and mental health, and an emerging evidence base on the benefits that gender-sensitive services can bring. The  aim of the Coventry women's partnership is to to improve outcomes for vulnerable women locally by providing a more joined-up, needs-led service across five women's organisations. The project was a three-year pilot funded by the Smallwood Trust and coordinated by the Women's Budget Group. Women reported substantial – and statistically significant – improvements in their mental health, physical health, relationships, finances, debt, legal status and housing. Service staff also reported that increased collaboration, more effective referrals and greater knowledge of partner services had improved the quality of services and, as a result, also outcomes for women.  

This research report presents evidence that investment in better streets and places can deliver commercial returns to businesses and investors, as well as improve consumer’s perceptions of high streets. Four performance indicators for these investments were identified through a review of the existing literature:  impact on existing business performance (footfall and retail); urban regeneration (new business, rental income, employment, social exclusion etc.); improved consumer and business perceptions, and business diversity.

How can investors be encouraged to consider more than purely commercial and short-term gains? Various sets of investment principles have emerged in recent years to guide socially responsible investment. In this review for IIED, Just Economics takes a first step in assessing the content, take-up, implementation and impact of the four main sets of principles for socially-responsible investment.

Funded by Amnesty International and carried out in partnership with other research organisations, this project mapped the mental health needs of young people in secure settings. Just Economics was responsible for reviewing the existing literature and comparing the costs of placements in secure settings with therapeutic alternatives.

As part of the DfID-funded Gender & Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) project, Just Economics was commissioned to review the use of value for money (VfM) analyses in projects aimed at adolescent girls in developing countries. This included a review of relevant literatures and theoretical approaches and a series of principles for carrying out such analyses in the future.