Lone parents who return to work worry about the effect on children, but research commissioned by Job Centre Plus shows that most children respond positively.

When primary school children were asked how they felt about their parents having jobs, some 46 per cent said that they actually liked their mum or dad going to work. 16 per cent said they did not like parents working. Almost a third said that the fact that their parents worked made them feel proud.

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The Home Office has launched a Design and Technology Alliance to take forward its strategy to use better design in the fight against crime. Design experts are joining the Alliance and their role will be to raise the profile within industry of how innovative design can tackle crime. They will work with the Home Office to embed the message that design can have a real impact on cutting crime by making it harder and less attractive for criminals.

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By Helen Johns and Paul OrmerodIn this book the authors analyse the economic research that underlies politicians’ growing preoccupation with measures of ‘wellbeing’.

In a lucid and compelling analysis, written for economists and non-economists alike, the authors find that happiness research cannot be used to justify government intervention in the way its proponents suggest. Those who wish governments to take into account measures of wellbeing when setting policy often point to the fact that increases in income have not led to increases in measured happiness, and thus governments should concentrate on redistribution and improving the quality of life, rather than on allowing people to benefit from economic growth. In fact, measured happiness does not appear to be related to public spending, violent crime, property crime, sexual equality, disability, life expectancy or unemployment either.

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