Co‑Director of the Centre for 21st Century Public Health, Professor Harry Rutter, and the Centre’s Director of Research, Professor Eleonora Fichera, were invited to deliver a specialist session on systems thinking and policy modelling to staff at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Around 50 colleagues from HMRC attended the session, aimed at strengthening analytical capability in the design and evaluation of complex policy, and supported the Policy Profession Standards.

This is the first time that the C21PH have delivered learning sessions for this government department.

Introducing systems thinking for policy design

Professor Harry Rutter’s session, 'Systems Thinking and Evidence for Policy Design', introduced staff to key systems concepts and explored how they can support more effective policymaking. Drawing on his extensive work on public health and obesity, he illustrated how systems approaches can help identify leverage points, understand dynamic interactions, and design policies better suited to real‑world complexity. Participants had the opportunity to examine real-world examples and explore how systems approaches complement and extend traditional forms of policy evidence.

Modelling the impacts of environmental policy

Professor Eleonora Fichera delivered a presentation on evaluating how we can model the impacts of environmental policy based on her research evaluating the wider consequences of transport and environmental interventions. Using Low Emission Zones as an interactive case study, her session analysed the broader consequences of transport policies for labour market productivity, physical health and wellbeing and identify common challenges in policy evaluation with potential solutions.

Professor Fichera said: "Environmental policies can have wide-ranging effects that extend well beyond their immediate objectives. By combining rich administrative data with causal evaluation methods, we can better understand how policies such as Low Emission Zones affect health, productivity and wellbeing. Sharing this work with government analysts is an important way for the Centre to support evidence-based policymaking and improve how complex policies are designed and evaluated"

Through this session, the Centre brings its expertise in systems thinking and policy evaluation to key government audiences, supporting better‑informed, more resilient policy decisions.

Policymakers working across government who would welcome seminars by colleagues in the C21PH should get in contact with us to discuss.