Civitas (think tank)

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This article is about the British think tank. For the Roman political concept, see Civitas.

Civitas: The Institute for the Study of Civil Society was launched early in 2000 as an independent think tank. It is a British registered charity (No. 1085494[1]), financed by private donations. It receives no government funding.

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[edit] Activities

The stated underlying purpose of Civitas is to deepen public understanding of the legal, institutional and moral framework that makes a free and democratic society possible.

They state that what they do is:

  • Discover solutions to social problems.
  • Implement pioneering projects to demonstrate what can be accomplished.
  • Supply schools with teaching materials and guest speakers.
  • Support informed public debate and encourage consensus by:
    • Providing accurate factual information on today's social issues.
    • Publishing informed comment and analysis.
    • Bringing together leading protagonists in open discussion.

[edit] Political Stance

The think tank describes itself as "classical liberal" and "non-partisan". Its areas of policy interest include:

  • Crime Civitas argues for an expansion of prison places, and rehabilitating prisoners through drug programmes and vocational education.
  • Education It believes in increasing parental choice with a greater range of schools.
  • Family It argues for the importance of marriage both to the individual and to wider society.
  • Health Civitas calls for an end to the NHS's monopoly on public healthcare and greater diversity in the system.
  • Immigration It questions the benefits of mass immigration, and has set up the Centre For Social Cohesion to address "the diminishing sense of community" in Britain.

[edit] Involvement in schools

Civitas provides teaching material and guest speakers for schools, in particular on marriage and on the EU.

The think tank was responsible for setting up a 'New Model School' in Brent, London, a fee-paying school intended to be more affordable than standard private schools. The school is described as "firmly grounded in Christian values and ideals", but accepts pupils of other faiths or none.

It also runs supplementary schools on Saturday mornings and after school hours. The schools teach English and maths to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, emphasising traditional approaches such as phonics. Starting with Bengali children in Bethnal Green, there are now ten supplementary schools in King's Cross, Hammersmith, Keighley, Sparkhill (Birmingham) and Bradford providing for about 250 children per week.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Central Register of Charities. The Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved on 10 March 2006.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links