About

The Social Metrics Commission is an independent Commission formed and led by Baroness Stroud.

The Social Metrics Commission was brought together to develop a new approach to poverty measurement that both better reflects the nature and experiences of poverty that different families in the UK have, and can be used to build a consensus around poverty measurement and action in the UK.

The Commission is an independent and rigorously non-partisan organisation dedicated to helping policy makers and the public understand and take action to tackle poverty. Its ultimate goal has been to develop new poverty metrics for the UK which will have both long-term political support and effectively identify those who are in poverty. By doing so, we hope that Government and others will be better able to develop interventions that reduce the number of people experiencing poverty and improve outcomes for those people who do experience it.

Our Commission members have been drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and each has valuable skills and experience to bring. We also have a strong team of technical and policy experts who will support the Commission and ensure that our thinking is underpinned by cutting edge, robust and insightful research and analysis.

The Commission is now hosted within the Centre for Social Policy Studies. The Commission would like to thank both the Legatum Institute for hosting the Commission through to 2022, and the Legatum Foundation for their significant support of this work. The work of the Commission would not have been possible without that support, and the research, editorial and functional independence that has underpinned the Commission’s work.

The Social Metrics Commission would also like to thank the following organisations and people for their generous support for the work of developing new poverty metrics for the UK:

  • Joseph Rowntree Foundation;
  • Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch);
  • Garfield Weston Foundation;
  • Oliver Wyman;
  • Jon Moulton; and
  • Stuart Roden.

If you would like to know more about the Commission, our goals and ambitions or how you can be involved, please contact the Secretariat team via matthew@wpieconomics.com