Our Standard
What a policy brief should be
These are the principles we commit to before we have produced anything. They are more binding, not less, because of that.
01
Grounded in Evidence
A policy brief should draw on peer-reviewed research and rigorous data — not opinion, ideology, or political convenience. That is the standard we commit to when we produce them.
02
Designed for Action
Policy briefs are written for people who must make decisions. Every brief should end with specific, actionable recommendations — not academic hedging.
03
Accessible Without Oversimplification
Clarity is not condescension. We write plainly because ideas deserve to be understood — not because we doubt the people reading them.
Our Research Agenda
Areas we intend to address
These are intentions, not publications. None of these briefs exist yet.
Critical Thinking in Education
Ministers of Education · Curriculum Designers · School Governors
The case for structured reasoning education in national curricula. What the evidence from existing studies shows. What policymakers can do without wholesale reform.
Ethical Governance and Accountability
Heads of State · Constitutional Bodies · Civil Society Leaders
How institutional design — not individual virtue — is the dominant driver of ethical culture in organisations and governments.
Human Development in Higher Education
University Leadership · Student Affairs · Higher Education Policy
The structural shift from reactive mental health provision to proactive human development education embedded in curricula.
Leadership Development at Scale
HR Directors · Public Sector Leaders · Development Organisations
Why most leadership development programmes produce compliance rather than capability — and what evidence-based alternatives look like.
Our Commitments
When we will publish
After our first research output exists
We will not publish a policy brief before we have genuine research behind it. The intellectual standard matters more than the publication schedule.
When third-party evidence is sufficient
Some briefs can be grounded primarily in existing external scholarship. We will be explicit about what is ours and what is others'.
If commissions are accepted
We are open to commissioned briefs from governments and organisations — but only on questions we can address rigorously. We will not produce advocacy dressed as evidence.
Commissioned Work
Have a policy question
you need evidence on?
We are open to conversations with governments, foundations, and organisations that want rigorous evidence on questions within our areas of focus. We have not yet accepted a commission. We are clear about what that means: we cannot guarantee capacity or timelines at this stage.
What we can guarantee is this: we will not produce advocacy dressed as evidence. If a commission conflicts with our intellectual standards, we will decline it rather than compromise them.
Policy Enquiry — partnerships@srlhd.org“Research that reaches those with the power to act on it matters. We intend to produce research that deserves to reach them.”
School of Reasoning, Leadership and Human Development
Start with the programmes that will produce this research.
The students who enrol now will be the subjects of our first real research. Their thinking, their outcomes, their growth. Free to begin. Create a free account to start.
