The Wilberforce Society is the first student-run political think tank to have been established in the UK. It facilitates a unique, mutually beneficial dialogue between Cambridge students and national policymakers, across all areas of public policy. It operates like any other such organisation but has no political affiliation, incorporating the wide range of views of students at the University of Cambridge.
The Wilberforce Society think-tank is in a unique position for its neutrality and membership, drawn from one of the world’s top universities. This membership not only provides highly intelligent input into all they do, but ensures that those involved in writing proposals are rarely restricted by dogmatic thinking, offering instead a freshness and originality of thought. It is this that defines their essential advantage.
Their work is carried out in two forms, led by their committee. The first type of work is on commissions, in the past from MPs and Lords. For such assignments, committees are formed which work corporately over a period of weeks or months to produce substantial pieces of work.
The second type of work is the production of proposals by individuals and small groups. These proposals are then discussed at open meetings to which a guest expert is invited. The guest helps establish the background of the policy area and assists in assessing the proposals presented. Examples of this form of work are available on their website.
Aside from policy research, TWS functions at the centre of Cambridge students’ political life, as the focal point for mutual dialogue between students and frontline policymakers. TWS Ideas provides a relaxed setting for informal debates on broad questions of public policy, and the TWS Forum is the networking seminar for the leaders of student political societies.
They recently established links with YouGov, the research company acclaimed as the UK’s most accurate opinion pollster. This association provides them with formidable access to data to aid in the production of their proposals.