Client: British Council
Team: Dr Ignacio Franco Vera, Trinidad Moreno, Elisabet Vives, Max Fras

Description: The Next Generation Kazakhstan report showcases the EYCE Hub's expertise in conducting complex, mixed-methods research that captures the nuanced experiences and aspirations of young people from education and employment to lifestyle. Commissioned by the British Council, the study reflects LSE’s ability to manage large-scale, multi-stakeholder projects with academic rigor and cultural sensitivity.

LSE demonstrated a strong understanding of Kazakhstan’s unique post-independence context. The research tools were adapted to reflect local realities, including:

• Language preferences (Kazakh and Russian).
• Regional disparities (urban vs rural).
• Cultural values (family, tradition, and national identity).

This ensured the findings were grounded in the lived experiences of young Kazakhstanis.

Youth-Centric and Participatory Design
The project placed young people at the center, not just as subjects but as co-creators of knowledge. The inclusion of youth voices through interviews, focus groups, and advisory board engagement reflects LSE’s commitment to participatory research and youth empowerment.

Policy-Relevant Insights
The report translates research findings into actionable recommendations across four key areas:

• Education
• Employment
• Youth voice and civic engagement
• National development and environmental sustainability

This demonstrates LSE’s strength in producing research that informs policy and practice, tailored to the needs of governments, NGOs, and international partners.

International Collaboration and Impact
Working with Central Asia Barometer and the British Council, LSE Consulting coordinated a multi-national team, showcasing its capacity for international collaboration. The research contributes to the British Council’s global Next Generation series, reinforcing LSE’s role in shaping youth policy discourse globally.

Client: European Commission (DG JUST) 
Team: Matthias Bauer, Hanna Deringer, Claire Milne, Emmanuel Voyiakis, Ellen Helsper, Sonia Livingstone, Joseph Spooner
Partners: Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd, BIICL - British Intitute of International and Comparative Law, Europe Economics, TNO - Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek, Ecorys Europe EEIG-GEIE, DLA Piper, CEPS- Centre for European Policy Studies, Capgemini Nederland B.V 

Description: LOT 1 concerned the provision of services to support evaluations, impact assessments, and related policy studies within the Justice and Consumers policy areas. These services applied to both legislative and non-legislative initiatives, including expenditure programmes. 

The assignments under this lot were required to adhere to the European Commission’s Better Regulation Guidelines and Toolbox. Evaluations focused on assessing the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, and EU added value of existing policies. Impact assessments aimed to analyse policy options in a forward-looking manner, identifying problems, assessing their drivers, and evaluating the potential impacts of proposed solutions. 

Client: Department of Education
Team: Sandra McNally, Dr Luke Sibieta, Dr Chiara Cavaglia, Imran Tahir, Guglielmo Ventur, John Higton, Dr Sarah Tazzyman, Sophie Spong

Description: The Department for Education commissioned CFE Research and EYCE Hub to conduct a process evaluation of Wave 2 of the Skills Bootcamps programme, which ran from April 2021 to March 2022. The evaluation aimed to assess how the programme was implemented, explore the experiences of participants, providers, and employers, and identify early outcomes and areas for improvement. 

The primary aim of the evaluation was to understand whether Skills Bootcamps effectively supported adults in gaining sector-specific skills and progressing into better employment. It also sought to examine the delivery processes, motivations for participation, and the early impacts of the programme. 

Key Outcomes:

• The programme successfully engaged a diverse range of participants, including women and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. 
• Most participants were motivated by the opportunity to change careers, gain new skills, and improve their income. 
• Employers valued the chance to shape training content and saw Skills Bootcamps as a means to address skills shortages and diversify their workforce. 
• Early self-reported impacts included increased confidence, improved job prospects, and, in some cases, successful employment outcomes. 
• Providers noted organisational benefits and the opportunity to support their sectors, though some faced financial and administrative challenges. 

Client: European Commission - DG for Justice and Consumers 
Team: Sarah Harrison, Elisabet Vives, Sandra Obradovic and Michael Bruter

Description: This report aimed to highlight best practices in the field of electoral inclusion of under-participating EU citizens in European Parliament elections both until 2019 and in the specific case of the 2024 European Parliament elections with a view of highlighting practice that can be emulated elsewhere. The report also discussed other initiatives which did not prove successful to date and other plans that had been discussed or considered but not yet implemented.

Client: British Council
Team: Mariia Zolkina, Max Fras, Elisabet Vives, InfoSapiens 

Description: Without a comprehensive picture of how Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine has impacted young people, it is impossible to fully grasp the resilience of Ukrainian society and the prospects for a post-war recovery and reconstruction. The needs and concerns of young people have changed over the course of the war depending on factors like proximity to violence, scope and type of security threats, and access to resources. 

This report by LSE Consulting's Education, Youth and Civil Engagement (EYCE) Hub meets the objective of providing a holistic picture of the war’s impact on youth life, perception of the future and potential role of youth in rebuilding Ukraine. In particular, the report presents the answers to the following major research questions:

• How has youth life been affected by war in practice, what needs and concerns are prioritised? 
• How does experiencing war shape everyday life and impact feelings about the future? 
• What are the underlying motivations driving either desire to emigrate or to stay within Ukraine? 
• What is the capacity of Ukrainian youth to plan their lives in the short- to long-term future? 
• What is the youth’s potential for active participation in the civic and political life in Ukraine? 

These important issues are addressed in two ways: first, a literature review of current research on youth both in Ukraine and in other conflict affected zones is presented, and second, the findings of a qualitative study conducted in Ukraine from January to March 2024 are summarised. This report explores the relationship between the practical, material concerns of young people in Ukraine and their hope and aspirations for the future.

This study was commissioned by the British Council and fieldwork was conducted by InfoSapiens, a Ukrainian research agency.

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Client: European Commission - DG for Justice and Consumers 
Team: Sarah Harrison, Elisabet Vives, Giulia Gentile and Michael Bruter

Description: This report explores the use of e-voting in voter-facing processes – notably the use of Electronic Voting Machines and internet voting – in electoral processes across EU Member States. The report focuses on both existing practice and the potential for future use in the context of European Parliament, national, and local elections. The scope of the report includes the regulatory framework, current use, a focus on the specific case study of France, potential security issues, and the impact on citizens’ experience, ergonomics, and behaviour.

The report concludes with several recommendations for public institutions considering the implementation and/or expansion of the use of e-voting, which are outlined below.

Recommendations for the use of electronic voting machines:

• Independent scientific advice should systematically be sought when it comes to the choice of options and settings that are fit for a specific polity (in particular, advice on the most desirable options should not come from the agents or companies which will be providing the technology to avoid conflict of interest);
• Ensure the existence of a protocol where a citizen suspect an error that fully protects the secrecy of the vote;
• Ensure that the use of electronic voting machines includes specific mitigation or separate paper alternatives for citizens living with disabilities, notably learning disabilities;
• Ensure that no state, region or municipality is in a situation of long term electoral dependency towards a specific private provider.

Recommendations for the use of internet voting:

• Ensure that internet voting is never the sole compulsory mode of voting (i.e. that polling stations continue to be offered as an alternative for citizens who wish to vote in person);
• Ensure that internet voting is part of broader secure digital identity systems;
• Ensure that early internet voting is paired with a right to regret one’s vote on election day.

In all cases, the report recommends ensuring that the use of any form of remote voting in voter-facing elements of elections is accompanied by elements of monitoring including the assessment of accessibility for citizens living with disabilities and models ensuring equality between citizens using electronic voting and those who are not.

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Client: European Commission - DG for Justice and Consumers
Team: Sandra Obradovic, Giulia Gentile and Michael Bruter

Description: This report considers best practices aimed at supporting the participation of citizens with disabilities in elections in the European Union (EU) with a particular focus on France and Italy as case studies. It discusses the existing practices based on an extensive literature review of existing research. More specifically, by drawing on existing research, it addresses the potential attitudinal and environmental barriers that shape the interactions that citizens with disabilities have with the electoral environment. It focuses explicitly on how citizens’ interactions with the physical and social environment can either have a positive or negative impact on the interactions of citizens with disabilities in the electoral environment.

The report concludes with a series of recommendations, including (but not limited to):

• Consider invisible disabilities.
• Where possible, reasonable adjustments that safeguard the independence and secrecy of voting should be favoured such as providing Braille templates that can be placed over the ballot paper to cast the vote, rather than enable a blind voter to be assisted by another person in casting their vote.
• Extend flexible voting arrangements to citizens with mental health-related disabilities, as Ireland has done through its Electoral Reform Act (2022).
• A common standard of measures should be adopted which will be used to assess both the extent to which inequalities exist in citizens’ access to the vote and the effectiveness of any solutions taken in order to reduce those inequalities.
• A key recommendation is to consider ways of co-creating or developing bottom-up approaches to research.

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Client: British Council South Africa
Team: Will Bartlett, Lucy Kanya, Marina Cino Pagliarello, Elisabet Vives, Candice Morkel and Wanjiru Nderitu

Description: Working with its partners the Kenyan Ministry of Education, the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the UK’s Micro:bit Foundation, the British Council is currently implementing the Learning to Code Programme, which employs a systemic approach to developing and understanding, skills, and competencies to prepare young Kenyans and South Africans for the future world of work.

Given the successful evaluation in the Western Balkans (see description above), LSE Consulting has been tasked to undertake an evaluation of the Programme on the participating schools to determine the impact of the project, e.g., on learner's confidence and their attitude towards coding, as well as on their intent to pursue a career in the IT industry, as well as the capacities of teachers and school leaders to modify the curriculum and teach coding skills. In order to do so, LSE Consulting is implementing a difference-in-difference evaluation and conducting large-scale surveys and interviews with the programme stakeholders, including young learners, teachers, school principles and education officials in South Africa and Kenya. The results of the evaluation are expected to be publicly available at the end of 2023.

Client: Advance HE
Team: Manmit Bhambra, Francisca Torres Cortés and Elisabet Vives 

Description: LSE Consulting has been commissioned to review a set of cases for race equality and other forms of business cases. The objective es it identify best practices and learn from past experience to identify the drivers and benefits associated with addressing racial inequalities.

The final product will be a brief report summarising the findings and a set of resources that higher education providers and practitioners can employ to develop their own cases for race equality in their institutions.

Client: British Council 
Team: Laura-Jane Silverman, Dr Paroma Bhattacharya, April Stephenson, Joanna Hamer

Description: The project aimed at empowering young South African women entrepreneurs through the Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP). 

The project’s core goal is to introduce aspiring female university students and graduates in South Africa to the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. It leverages LSE Generate’s experience in gender-sensitive, inclusive entrepreneurship support. The initiative involves capacity building, knowledge exchange, mentorship, and the co-creation of entrepreneurial content.  

The programme is designed to be inclusive, participatory, gender-transformative, and impact-driven, ensuring that young women not only gain entrepreneurial skills but also build confidence, networks, and sustainable business models. 

Client: European Partnership for Democracy
Team: Elisabet Vives

Description: The Digital Democracy Webinar, conducted on 25 March 2025, explored the evolving intersection of digital technologies and democratic processes. The event was structured into two sessions, each addressing key dimensions of digital democracy, its theoretical foundations, and practical applications. 

• Processing large volumes of data 
• Supporting user engagement through chatbots and recommender systems 
• Bridging cognitive gaps via summarization and translation tools 

Case studies from cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Reykjavik illustrated successful AI-driven participatory platforms. The session highlighted AI’s potential to empower citizens and deepen democratic engagement by enabling more accessible and efficient participation mechanisms.  

Client: British Council
Team: Marina Cino Pagliarello, Alejandro Plaza Reveco and Francisca Torres Cortés

Description: LSE Consulting has been commissioned to develop a report that will guide the design and implementation of a longitudinal survey based on the British Council’s programme, Alumni UK. The team at LSE will map the existing capacity and identify constraints regarding the collection of longitudinal data, and will then develop alternative approaches considering the following aspects: measurement and questionnaire design, sampling and follow-up, workflow for data management. The final output will be a report presenting feasible implementation scenarios and recommendations of how the British Council can take advantage of running a longitudinal study to assess impact and improve the programme.

Client: Council of Europe, ODGP
Team: Tomila Lankina, Aitemad Muhanna Matar, Will Barlett, James Ker-Lindsay, Max Fras, Michéle Finck, Jens Meierhenrich, Enkeleida Tahiraj, Claire Gordon, Sajjan M. Gohel, Tena Prelec, Marral Shamshiri-Fard, Elitsa Garnizova, Elisabet Vives Requena, Daniela Baeza Breinbauer, Lidia Cano Pecharroman, Anju Begum 
Partner: Opinum

Description: The evaluation aimed to provide an objective assessment of the outcomes achieved through the Action Plan (AP), which supported Bosnia and Herzegovina’s reform efforts in alignment with Council of Europe standards and its European Union accession agenda. 

The primary objectives of the evaluation were to assess the effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and visibility of the Action Plan and its projects. It also sought to evaluate the integration of gender equality and human rights-based approaches, the involvement of civil society organisations, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on implementation. Furthermore, the evaluation aimed to draw lessons and provide recommendations for the development of a potential follow-up Action Plan for 2022–2025. 

The findings indicated that the projects were well aligned with national priorities and EU strategies, and that the Council of Europe’s comparative advantage—particularly its legal standards, expert networks, and intergovernmental approach—was effectively leveraged. While many projects achieved their objectives, some faced challenges due to political instability, limited stakeholder capacity, or the early stage of implementation. Gender mainstreaming and human rights approaches were generally integrated, though not always systematically or with measurable outcomes. Civil society organisations were actively involved, though their capacity and recognition as equal partners varied. 

The evaluation found that the Action Plan contributed to donor coordination, long-term planning, and cross-cutting objectives. However, its visibility among local stakeholders and the general public was limited, partly due to the absence of a comprehensive communication strategy. The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges but was met with effective adaptations, including the use of online tools and flexible budgeting. 

In terms of sustainability, the evaluation noted that while some reforms—particularly in the penitentiary system and Roma integration—showed promise, others were hindered by political volatility and insufficient funding. The Action Plan built on the achievements of the previous 2015–2017 cycle, reinforcing continuity in reform efforts. 

Overall, the evaluation concluded that the Council of Europe Action Plan had made a meaningful contribution to reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, though improvements in communication, gender-sensitive outcome tracking, and strategic planning would enhance future impact. 

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Client: Office for Students
Authors: Marina Cino Pagliarello, Ignacio Franco Vega, Francisca Torres Cortés and Claudine Provencher

Description: LSE Consulting evaluated the submissions received from OfS Call for Evidence conducted in 2022 regarding initiatives to support international students’ experience and well-being in higher education in England. The analysis of the submissions was supported by a literature review of relevant academic and policy literature; a survey targeted at international students and alumni from across England; and qualitative evidence from staff and international students at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The report provided recommendations to better assess and understand international students’ experiences and needs (e.g., driving bottom-up approaches for programme design), and identified gaps in provision of services from arrival until after graduation (e.g., visas and accommodation, academic support and career advice).

Client: British Council, Serbia
Authors: Will Bartlett, Marina Cino Pagliarello, Vasilis Monastiriotis and Ivana Prica

Description: The British Council 21st Century Schools Programme is a three-year programme to provide training to school leaders and teachers in the skills needed to improve the teaching practice using critical thinking and problem solving (CTPS) teaching methods and the application of IT skills, primarily coding and programming within the classroom using micro:bit hardware donated by the UK government. LSE Consulting developed the full impact evaluation of this project, including a Baseline Study and the full Impact Evaluation. 

LSE Consulting’s Baseline Report analysed the primary education systems in the Western Balkans prior to programme implementation to establish the initial measurement of the evaluation indicators, outcomes and outputs as set out in the Programme Evaluation Plan.

The report also examined the basic assumptions of the Theory of Change (Logic Model) of the programme, identifying how programme interventions were expected to bring about the various outputs and outcomes. In the Impact Evaluation, LSE Consulting reported the changes measured throughout programme implementation and analysed the delivery of the different outcomes and outputs comparing with the baseline scenario and assessing it against the programme’s theory of change. The report focused on the roles of policymakers, school leaders, teaches and pupils, across four evaluation dimensions: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Sustainability.

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Client: British Council Northern Ireland
Authors: Marina Cino Pagliarello, Karise Hutchinson, Francisca Torres Cortés and Elisabet Vives

Description: The report involved a comprehensive analysis of Northern Ireland’s Higher Education sector and the wider context in which Higher Education is delivered in Northern Ireland. The piece aimed to inform the British Council’s global network of colleagues of the Northern Ireland Higher Education sector, its strengths, and the broader assets of Northern Ireland as a Higher Education study destination and area for research collaboration. The final product was tailored to international stakeholders and governments who may wish to understand Northern Ireland’s Higher Education sector and its operating context.

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Client: British Council
Authors: Max Fras, Amy White, Matt Cresswell and Elisabet Vives

Description: LSE Consulting developed three ‘What We Know’ briefs, with a synthesis of recent reports developed under the British Council’s Next Generation programme. Respectively, each brief examines the global attitudes that young people have on Education and Skills, Local and Global Challenges, and Youth Voice (Political and Civic Engagement). Specifically, the briefs included desk research/literature review on the current global youth policy and strategy context relevant to the three identified Next Generation topics above; case studies of British Council and external policy and programming relevant to the three core Next Generation areas (understanding youth attitudes and aspirations, amplifying youth voice and supporting better youth policy-making); and reflections from three What We Know workshops that were carried out in March 2022 with a range of young people, youth organisations and policymakers to discuss the findings, current practices and opportunities for action.

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Client: British Council
Authors: Manmit Bhambra, Caroline Addai-Bempah, Francisca Torres Cortés and Elisabet Vives

Description: The study involved:

• a review of the existing materials within the British Council on anti-racism and decolonisation, including ongoing work;
• an evidence review of current global literature on anti-racism and decolonisation; and
• a review of existing policy priorities and approaches summarising strengths/weaknesses, and recommendations on how to embed anti-racism approaches into the BC’s current work.

The team interviewed internal and external stakeholders focusing on four countries (UK, India, Brazil and Malaysia) to understand current approaches and identify best practices. Moreover, the team delivered four workshops to discuss the findings with participants and enable global teams to analyse their current approach to anti-racism and decolonisation, identify existing initiatives and define potential new actions. 

Client: Committee of the Regions
Team: Michael Bruter, Dr Sarah Harrison, Dr Miriam Sorace, Elisabet Vives

Description: It aimed to explore how local and regional authorities could be more centrally involved in the European Union’s democratic and governance structures, particularly within the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

The primary objective of the research was to assess the current and potential role of local and regional authorities in EU governance. It sought to propose reforms that would enhance their influence and democratic legitimacy, explore scenarios for institutional change—ranging from no treaty change to far-reaching treaty reform—and support the Committee of the Regions in shaping its position and strategy during the Conference.  

The report presented a comprehensive set of proposals under three scenarios. Under Scenario A, which assumed no treaty change, the report suggested practical reforms such as establishing local EU hubs, improving the quality and visibility of the Committee of the Regions’ opinions, and enhancing digital and cross-border citizen engagement. Scenario B, which considered minor treaty changes, proposed formalising local representation in EU treaties, expanding mandatory consultation areas, and strengthening subsidiarity provisions. Scenario C, which envisaged major treaty reform, advocated for structural changes such as creating a legislative chamber elected at the local level and embedding regional representation in EU decision-making. 

The study also analysed the feasibility of each scenario, identifying political, legal, and institutional constraints. It concluded that while major treaty change was unlikely, significant improvements could still be achieved through soft law, inter-institutional agreements, and strategic partnerships. The report further examined the role of digital and deliberative democracy in the Conference, highlighting both opportunities and limitations in engaging citizens effectively. 

This research proved highly relevant to ongoing debates about EU democratic legitimacy, subsidiarity, and multi-level governance. It provided a roadmap for enhancing the role of local and regional authorities in EU policymaking, aligning with citizens’ preferences for more localised and participatory governance. The findings were particularly pertinent in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe, offering actionable insights for institutional reform and democratic renewal. 

Client: British Council
Authors: Max Fras, Amy White and Elisabet Vives

Description: The review conducted by LSE Consulting assessed the Next Generation design and delivery process, the value (actual or potential) of Next Generation research to strategy development and achievement of impact. It did so through a series of interviews and focus groups with relevant British Council teams and other stakeholders, and a thorough document review. The team combined inductive and deductive methods, including a literature-informed framework of key topics and thematic analysis. The outputs of the project included specific and tailored recommendations.

Client: British Council
Team: Michael Bruter, Dr Sarah Harrison, Dr Mathias Koenig-Archibugi, Dr Sandra Obradovic
Partner: Opinum 

Description: As an example of our capacity to design, implement and analyse projects with strong qualitative components, we present the project The Big Conversation Research Pilot (2020-2021), commissioned by the British Council. This pilot study aimed to look at shared values in cultural relations and international cooperation. More specifically, the Pilot sought to explore how British Council ‘meta-values’ (equality, diversity, inclusion, mutuality, respect, tolerance and openness) can be embedded in programmes and reinforced in ways of working and organisational culture in order to foster better dialogue and cooperation with our stakeholders, partners and programme users. The team designed, implemented, and tested the methodological approach for research activities to be deployed across the British Council’s global network, which was piloted in the United Kingdom, Malaysia and South Africa. This included a representative survey (1,000 sample in each country with boosts in the UK), implemented by our partner Opinium; interviews with British Council staff and stakeholders; and focus groups with British Council beneficiaries and partners (predominantly third-sector organisations). The data gathered allowed the team to identify trends and key values relevant to cultural diplomacy and relations. 

This pilot study was commissioned by the British Council to look at shared values in cultural relations and international cooperation. The project used cutting-edge participatory action research to gain a better understanding of values and meta-values within and across countries and populations. More specifically, the Pilot sought to explore how British Council ‘meta-values’ (equality, diversity, inclusion, mutuality, respect, tolerance and openness) can be embedded in programmes and reinforced in ways of working and organisational culture in order to foster better dialogue and cooperation with our stakeholders, partners and programme users.  

A key delivery of the project was the organisation of a series of roundtable events and international plenaries to discuss the preliminary and final findings of the report. This was done by EYCE Hub in close collaboration with the British Council.  

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Client: European Commission - DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Team: Vassills Monastiriotis, Kristen Sehnbruch.
Partner: ICF Consulting Services Ltd 

Description: The Social Situation Monitor (SSM) assisted DG Employment in transforming data from existing sources and any relevant new sources (e.g., big data) into policy-relevant evidence for national and European policymakers. LSE and its consortium partners assisted the Commission in developing and maintaining an infrastructure that provided easy access to continuously updated employment and social indicators. The infrastructure consisted of regular workshops, seminars and panels organised by the EYCE Hub in Brussels, as well as the production of research notes and academic articles on the topics decided by DG Employment. This project provided EYCE Hub with valuable experience in working collaboratively with public institutions.   

One of the core goals of the project was to ensure that the research conducted by our academics was communicated effectively and in an actionable way. The seminars and workshops organised by EYCE Hub were aimed at bringing researchers and policymakers together and facilitating discussions, with an explicit action and policy-oriented approach. The workshops and seminars were attended by DG Employment staff, stakeholders and members of the public, and their primary goal was to present complex research for a non-academic audience, as well as to find new approaches to social policy at the EU level. As an example, the exchange of views and findings between academic researchers and DG Employment and other EU bodies has allowed for new approaches to data collection and data sharing, mainly referring to Eurostat surveys. More crucially, during the project, the research briefings and seminar discussions informed the Annual Report of the Social Protection Committee (SPC), which delivers on the Committee’s core task to monitor the social situation in the EU and the developments in social protection policies.  

Client: European Commission - DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion 
Team: Dr Vassills Monastiriotis, Kristen Sehnbruch 
Partners: Visionary Analytics UAB, Kantar Belgium, Idea Strategische Economische Consulting 

Description: The research aimed to support the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) through a framework contract focused on evaluating and monitoring EU policies, particularly in the context of the Better Regulation Guidelines. The work was led by a consortium comprising Visionary Analytics, IDEA Consult, Kantar Public, and LSE Consulting, supported by several subcontractors. 

The primary objective of the research was to evaluate the implementation and impact of the REACT-EU initiative, specifically through the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), in response to the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation sought to determine how effectively the initiative supported green, digital, and resilient recovery across Member States. 

The research provided a comprehensive evaluation of REACT-EU’s implementation, identifying key success factors, challenges, and lessons learned. It demonstrated how flexible funding mechanisms could be effectively deployed during crises and offered recommendations for future policy design. 

The monitoring of the ESA contributed to understanding progress in addressing skills mismatches and promoting lifelong learning. It also supported DG EMPL’s strategic planning and reporting obligations, including contributions to the European Semester.  

The outcomes were highly relevant for informing future EU policy interventions, enhancing the resilience of labour markets, and improving the design and delivery of social inclusion and employment programmes. 

Client: British Council Saudi Arabia
Authors: Steffen Hertog, Courtney Freer, Sarah Al-Otaibi and Elsa Bedos

Description: This study explored and provided recommendations on the following: future trends, priority areas, academic and research opportunities, risks and challenges and potential for academic partnerships with the UK in the Higher Education sector in Saudi.