James Plunkett

New post this week 👇 People are worried that the scientific discovery process has got stuck, and this has led to a new discipline of metascience.

But what if the same has happened to policy-making and Government more generally? And. if so, what do we do about it?

What if government is stuck in a local maximum? The case for broadening our field of view

What if government is stuck in a local maximum?

Today I'm publishing a new post exploring whether the evidence standards and control mechanisms we use in government are limiting us to a dangerously narrow field of view. If so, what could we do about that?

medium.com/@jamestplunk... 1/n

Keep your eyes out for further reflections from @mssophiaparker.bsky.social later in the week - and more from the programme to come, including on this vital theme of evidence and control mechanisms. Would love to hear people's thoughts on the recommendations! 5/5

This is the latest contribution from the Centre for the Edge, a partnership between @kinship.works and @jrf-uk.bsky.social, that @mssophiaparker.bsky.social and I announced in September. We're asking how leaders in our struggling public institutions can support and spread promising alternatives. 4/n

I end with a suggestion that perhaps we could think of this as analagous to the discipline of metascience, except that here we're talking about metagovernance. "A systematic practice of designing, experimenting with, and spreading new ways to discover how to make society better." 3/n

I make six recommendations for how we could broaden our sights, from the role played by evaluation teams in government departments to work that could be supported by the UK Research Councils. 2/n

What if government is stuck in a local maximum? The case for broadening our field of view

What if government is stuck in a local maximum?

Today I'm publishing a new post exploring whether the evidence standards and control mechanisms we use in government are limiting us to a dangerously narrow field of view. If so, what could we do about that?

medium.com/@jamestplunk... 1/n

Someone should make a new version of Yes Minister in which Sir Humphrey's team is trying to save the department from fiscal collapse/public fury by adopting contemporary practices behind the scenes without him realising.

Honestly, the extent to which you now need to work around the machinery of government (in stealth, against the rules, etc.) in order to save it from itself is truly extraordinary.

A Friday share of this 👇 Should we make a hit list of the top 500 buildings in deliquent ownership? Could we help to setup a safe harbour scheme - holding buldings of civic value while communities raise funds to buy them? All of this and more....!

Oop, internet broken again?

Interesting point on the land registry. What are the best arguments against releasing it?

Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? Across Britain, there are countless examples of land and buildings in the heart of communities lying empty and deteriorating, often stuck in unclear or absent ownership. We can all think of examples: ...

🔔 Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? 🔔 We're hosting a conversation @kinship.works to share ideas...

cado.kinship.works. 1/n

Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? Across Britain, there are countless examples of land and buildings in the heart of communities lying empty and deteriorating, often stuck in unclear or absent ownership. We can all think of examples: ...

If you have thougts we'd love to hear them!

Either via the form at this link: cado.kinship.works

Or in repsonse to this LinkedIn post: www.linkedin.com/posts/james-...

Thanks! /End

There's more in the link about ideas we're keen to explore - e.g. a safe harbour scheme, holding buldings to buy time while communities put a bid together. Also a big new public awareness campaign - curating a hit list of Britain's most loved buildings in delinquent ownership. 6/n

With left-behind neighbourhoods once again front and centre in UK politics, we thought it would be timely to revisit CADO — starting by hosting a conversation about what has changed in the last decade, what has been learned, and what more could be done to help. 5/n

Ten years ago, there was an inspiring programme called the Campaign Against Delinquent Ownership. This drew attention to the way buildings of civic value often get stuck with absentee owners. It supported pioneering attempts to rescue important buildings, and informed changes to practice. 4/n

So many brilliant people are working hard on this issue. And there is a growing list of buildings being brought back into community use, and acting as catalysts for the revitalisation of local civic life. From pubs to ballrooms, piers to night clubs, empty buildings are coming back to life. 3/n

Across Britain, land and buildings in the heart of communities lie empty and deteriorating, stuck in unclear or absent ownership. A cinema that shut years ago, an empty pub, an old swimming pool. As these plots gather weeds, it’s not just a waste, it can erode local confidence and pride. 2/n

Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? Across Britain, there are countless examples of land and buildings in the heart of communities lying empty and deteriorating, often stuck in unclear or absent ownership. We can all think of examples: ...

🔔 Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? 🔔 We're hosting a conversation @kinship.works to share ideas...

cado.kinship.works. 1/n

Citizen Zoo© Official Site | Rewilding Our Future Pioneering rewilding organisation Citizen Zoo leading the way to rewild nature in Britain through conservation & restoring wildlife back to parts of the country where it was once found!

Went to a brilliant presentation tonight about urban rewilding by @citizenzoo.bsky.social Heard the background to the Ealing beaver reintroduction and lots more about white storks, glow worms and grasshoppers

More on their work and volunteering opportunities here: www.citizenzoo.org

They did get me to a basic comparison of constituencies (NDC constituencies were 0.9ppts more likely to vote Remain than average). But I got stuck at LSOA to ward matching and ward-level statistical neighbours (maybe it’s my lack of prompting skills!)

Great, maybe ping me a quick email and I'll reply with details? james@kinship.works

Over on the place where Links are In, I reflected on this thoughtful piece by @jamestplunkett.bsky.social and @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social, that beyond *new applications* of public interest tech, we should need to build the scaffolding that allows compelling innovations to scale and interoperate.

Do any political/election data/GIS nerds fancy helping out with some number crunching? If anyone has experience of things like lookups to link LSOAs to wards, and analysis of election data drop me a line.

I can pay a small amount but it would have to be done partly for interest/nerdery!

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? Yes — if funders step up

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? We've been doing some thinking at Kinship Works with @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social and co at Careful Industries - what it would take for 2026 to see public interest/civic tech to reach its full potential? Some ideas:
medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? Yes — if funders step up

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology?

@rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social and @jamestplunkett.bsky.social have co-authored a blog on what it would take for 2026 to see public interest / civic tech realise its full potential.

We'd love to know what people think.
medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? — Careful Industries Four ideas for sparking investment in UK public interest tech. Written in collaboration with James Plunkett from Kinship Works.

Public interest tech - that does good for people, communities and the planet - is a no-brainer, so why does no one want to fund it? @jamestplunkett.bsky.social and I have 4 recs for how the UK civic and community tech landscape could be better supported www.careful.industries/blog/2025-12...

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? Yes — if funders step up

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? We've been doing some thinking at Kinship Works with @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social and co at Careful Industries - what it would take for 2026 to see public interest/civic tech to reach its full potential? Some ideas:
medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Of course the Guangzhou public library makes Chengdu’s look like Hackney Central. 98,000 square meters.