The Federal Trust

The Federal Trust is a think tank that studies the interactions between regional, national, European and global levels of government.

Founded in 1945 on the initiative of Sir William Beveridge, it has long made a powerful contribution to the study of federalism and federal systems.

It has always had a particular interest in the European Union and Britain’s place in it. In more recent years, it has supplemented its European work by studies on devolution and regional government in the United Kingdom and a series of reports on global governance.

The Federal Trust has no allegiance to any political party. It is registered as a charity for the purposes of education and research. The Federal Trust draws on an impressive variety of intellectual resources. Its Patrons and Council Members are prominent individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and professions. Research Fellows and staff combine expertise in diverse disciplines including law, finance, economics and politics. The Federal Trust also attracts for its publications and projects the regular help of well-regarded outside experts and practitioners. As a result of the varied expertise on which it draws, the Trust is able to reflect in its work a broad spectrum of ideas and approaches to the questions of national and international governance in which it is interested.