Polly Mackenzie

Repositioning care in economics: concepts, measurement, and policy implications Abstract. Care work, encompassing childcare, eldercare, disability care, household maintenance and emotional support, sustains the human capabilities upon

Repositioning care in economics: concepts, measurement, and policy implications url: academic.oup.com/oxrep/articl...

In praise of friction Getting to grips with an increasingly slippery world

Why we all need a little more friction in our lives - in a slippery age.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/in-praise-...

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust About us

The great charity that used to be called Sustrans (and now has a name that I find harder to understand) that focuses on sustainable travel is looking for a new CEO. Overseeing 500 staff and 2000 volunteers. £160k. Apply by 15 March
micro.green-park.co.uk/walkwheelcyc...

Bloated is one up from invisible

I'm blaming @pollymackenzie.bsky.social for this! 😒

OpenSAFELY news: you can apply to do non-COVID research, from today! | Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science We are delighted to announce that - from today - you can submit applications to the OpenSAFELY service for non-COVID-19 studies.

OpenSAFELY is open from today! Huge thanks to all who supported this vast collaboration: whole population GP data; in a productive platform; innovative privacy protections; unprecedented support from professions, privacy campaigners; &c

Now it's over to users!

www.bennett.ox.ac.uk/blog/2026/02...

Super cool

Bring back paragraphs

What counts as evidence? Guest post

This from Nigel Ball on @pollymackenzie.bsky.social's subtack is superb. It asks some basic questions of the way we make policy, the answers to which hold profound implications for government, policy-makers, researchers and educators. 1/2

substack.com/home/post/p-...

But which one is the celebrity?

Help us map disciplines of civic renewal — roles & skills communities need to revitalise civic life Help us map the disciplines of civic renewal — the roles and skills communities need to revitalise civic life If helping us map public sector reform communities wasn’t enough… We’re starting …

NEW @kinship.works for @jrf-uk.bsky.social

Help us map the disciplines of civic renewal

- We know community-led approaches to reviving civic life (Big Local, etc) work

- But we lack understanding of disciplines/professional roles that enable it

What should we look at?

medium.com/kinship-work...

National Gallery to make major cuts in effort to stem ballooning deficit Move could mean fewer free exhibitions and paid-for shows and more expensive tickets

Is it time for a tourism tax if even our biggest arts institutions are struggling this much?

And this is after blockbuster exhibitions (Van Gogh) & successful philanthropy, so think how much tougher it must be for more local-regional galleries and museums
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

So much weight is put behind 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 or 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘅𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱-𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰 in policy, but where is 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵-𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 or 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝘆𝗻𝗲-𝗧𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻.

I only learnt yesterday that a lot of the worlds banknotes are made by a company in Basingstoke, but who is shouting about this?

Here's to you!

And apparently Jammie Dodgers are made in Cwmbran

This is mid The case for getting into the middle of things

I can't get enough of this writing, so good. Thank you @pollymackenzie.bsky.social howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/this-is-mid

This is mid The case for getting into the middle of things

There is something about the word “middle” that triggers discomfort in political and commercial life. We are hunting for unicorns or cherishing our neighbourhood coffee cart.

But the middle isn't middling: the middle is the best bit. My latest piece.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/this-is-mid

Strictly is a truly remarkable beast.

pretty happy with this, ngl. apparently I'm more of a cyclist than a feminist these days. intriguing.

hrmph. they look like buttons to me

ICYMI: Our Invitation to Tender for a proposed People's Forum on Advanced AI Assistants. Full details below.

We have also developed some FAQs for potential applicants ➡️https://adalovelaceinstitute.org/assistants-tender-faqs

Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2026.

Friendship is magic. Lessons for No10 from the My Little Ponyverse

Time to re up my post on how to staff No10

open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...

what is interesting about the Goodwin example is that child benefit was introduced as a replacement for child tax allowances, part of the system until the 1970s. Switch benefited low earners/ mothers (this was pre-independent taxation) but CTAs were not regarded as a wild proposal

Tax is a story Shaping the narrative of what we owe one another

No-one thinks about tax and welfare as a set of net transfers between citizens and the state. We respond to a deep story of punishment and reward. If we want to solve our fiscal problems, we need to engage with those deep stories and find new ones.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...

How To Win An Election: Emergency Episode: McSweeney Resigns Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. With Number 10 in survival mode, can the prime minister find a new strategy, and how long will potential leadership challengers wait?...

I believe we call this an emergency podcast. pod.fo/e/38b2fb

"Thank you for dialling 999. Which emergency service will you be requiring? Police, Fire, Ambulance, or Podcasts?"

Today we talked quite a lot about Peter Mandelson on our podcast that used to feature Peter Mandelson.
Full ep here: pod.fo/e/388d04

As it happens I can also recite the “always keep a hold of nurse” poem from start to finish. It is my party trick.

Delighted that we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are once again supporting this annual online event aimed at reaching people currently under-represented in the think tank sector… please share with your networks…

Boy saves family with 2.5-mile swim in shark-infested waters MANA SHEPHERD/ASAP, ALA James Salmon Perth A 13-year-old boy who swam for four hours through shark-infested Western Australia's waters to save his mother and two siblings after they were swept out to sea has been described as "superhuman" by rescue services. Austin Appelbee swam 25 miles to shore to raise the alarm after getting into difficulties with his mother, Joanne, 47, brother Beau, 12, and sister Grace, 8, police said. He then ran 1.2 miles to find help. Paul Bresland, Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue commander, said that Austin's efforts were "superhuman". The family were on holiday last week Quindalup near Dunsborough. coastal town about 150 miles south of Perth, where they live. Making the most of what appeared to be calm conditions, they paddled out into Geographe Bay 3. Family rescued 9 miles from shore Indian Ocean 1. Austin swims 2.5 miles to shore Geographe Bay 2. He runs 1.2 miles to call for help in Dunsborough Quindalup Jetty 3 miles in the Indian Ocean on Friday morning on a kayak and inflatable paddleboards. At about llam conditions became rougher. They lost their paddles and their kayak flipped over and started sinking as it filled with water. Austin's mother realised their best chance of survival was asking her elder son to swim for shore while she tried to keep her other children from drowning "One of the hardest decisions I ever had to make was to say to Austin, "Try to get to shore and get some help, this could get really serious really quickly she told the broadcaster ABC. *I knew he was the strongest and he could do it." For the next few hours, she and her rounger children clung to their paddle boards. Austin set off on an inflatable kayak wearing a lifejacket. He abandoned the kayak after it took on water, and took off the lifejacket. Austin said he tried to focus on positive thoughts as he swam through rough seas. "The waves are massive and " he said. "I just I have no lifej…

sorry to be sentimental but this is the most amazing heartwarming story