The £600 billion problem awaiting the next government podcastWe speak to David Gauke and Giles Wilkes, two experts who have been at the heart of the spending review process.25 April 2024
Be the Chancellor Our interactive tool lets you be the Chancellor. Change spending plans, set tax policies and see how your choices impact borrowing and debt.
Should we worry about government debt? podcastDavid Miles joins us to discuss high government debt and its impact on the economy. 11 April 2024
IFS Annual Lecture - Innovation and productivity policies: a budgetary perspective event 15 May 2024 Professor Heidi Williams (Dartmouth College) delivered the 2024 IFS Annual Lecture on innovation and productivity policies.
Jobs landing pageAt IFS, we recruit and train top-quality economists and professional support staff. We aim to foster a respectful and inclusive working environment.20 July 2022
Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy The Research Centre at the heart of IFS is the CPP.
Chancellors’ asymmetric responses to good and bad news since 2010 resulted in more debt and a bigger state Press ReleaseSince 2010, Chancellors have not responded symmetrically to good and bad economic news.28 September 2023
Wealthiest 1% would get half the benefit of scrapping inheritance tax, with an average tax cut of £1 million Press ReleaseIf non-spousal inheritances passed on next year were to be equally shared between all 25-year-olds, each would receive around £120,000.27 September 2023
New childcare entitlements have little to offer the poorest families Press Release"These new entitlements are another big step towards an early years system focused on helping parents to work."26 September 2023
Parents, especially poorer ones, overlook value added when applying to secondary schools Press ReleaseParents commonly do not apply to the most effective secondary school in their local area, this is especially true for parents living in poorer areas.19 September 2023
FCDO renews TaxDev funding for the next seven years AnnouncementFCDO has announced renewed funding for The Centre for Tax Analysis in Developing Countries, a collaboration between IFS and ODI.19 September 2023
The triple lock creates uncertainty for pension incomes and savers, as well as the public finances Press ReleaseThe pensions triple lock has increased state pension spending and creates uncertainty for current and future generations of pensioners.8 September 2023
IFS Research Fellow publishes monograph on inequality AnnouncementIFS Research Fellow Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg has published a monologue entitled The Unequal Effects of Globalization.7 September 2023
Social mobility continues to fall – and moving up is harder if you grow up in the North or Midlands Press Release"It may be harder now than at any point in over half a century to move up if you are born in a position of disadvantage.”7 September 2023
NHS workforce plan implies one in eleven workers will be employed by the health service by 2036 Press ReleaseOne in two public sector workers could be employed by the NHS by 2036.30 August 2023
30-year-olds without any qualifications are more likely to be disabled than university graduates in their 60s Press ReleaseNew research finds that differences in rates of disability between education groups are larger than differences by age. 23 August 2023
Large mismatches between the funding different areas receive for public services and their spending needs Press ReleaseThe new report published today estimates the level of funding for key public services in each local authority area in England in 2022-23.15 August 2023
Scotland’s recent weak employment and earnings trends reflect a marked deterioration in the Highlands, Islands and North East Press ReleaseHow have employment, earnings and incomes performed in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK? What drives geographic inequalities within Scotland?9 August 2023
Almost half of children saw their social and emotional skills worsen during the pandemic – and economic turbulence played a role Press ReleaseNearly half of parents (47%) reported that their child’s social and emotional skills had worsened during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.1 August 2023
Lump-sum cost of living payments poorly designed to alleviate deprivation Press ReleaseThe government has introduced a series of ‘cost of living payments’. 13 July 2023
Removing tax exemptions from private schools likely to have little effect on numbers in the private sector, raising £1.3–1.5 billion in net terms Press ReleaseLabour’s proposals to remove tax exemptions on private schools are likely to raise an extra £1.3-1.5 billion.11 July 2023
Nearly half of older adults who left the workforce in 2020–21 ended up in relative poverty Press ReleaseNew IFS research, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, shows that 48% of 50- to 70-year-olds who had recently left the workforce in 2020–21 ended7 July 2023
Even as they approach retirement, more than four in ten of those with a defined contribution pension do not know how they will access their savings Press ReleaseIn a new IFS report published today we look at how people plan to use these freedoms and what plans they have to access their pension pots. 30 June 2023
Housing benefits have been frozen while rents have sky-rocketed. Only 1 in 20 private rental properties on Zoopla can be covered by housing benefit Press ReleaseLocal housing allowance (LHA) rates have been frozen in cash terms since April 2020. 27 June 2023
One million middle-income working-age adults unable to meet an unexpected expense costing one month’s income Press ReleaseOne million working-age adults on middle incomes have less than one month’s income saved in an accessible form.16 June 2023
Number of new disability benefit claims remains high, but today’s data show tentative signs of easing Press ReleaseIn the years since the pandemic, there has been a large and sustained rise in the number of adults being newly awarded working-age disability benefits each month. 13 June 2023