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.
Public investment: what you need to know Explainer Everything you wanted to know about UK public investment but were too afraid to ask – including analysis of Labour and Conservative plans. 25 April 2024
Should we worry about government debt? Podcast David Miles joins us to discuss high government debt and its impact on the economy. 11 April 2024
House price rises and borrowing to invest Working Paper We propose a borrow-to-invest motive by which house price gains affect household spending on residential investment. 27 March 2024
Spring Budget 2024: What you need to know Podcast IFS reaction to the Chancellor's Spring Budget. 7 March 2024
The changes to Labour's green investment plan explained Explainer Ben Zaranko explains Labour's latest announcement that it will no longer seek to spend £28 billion per year on green investment. 9 February 2024
Constraints and trade-offs for the next government Report The next government is likely to face some of the most difficult economic and fiscal choices the UK has faced outside of pandemics and major crises. 25 January 2024
Cake or biscuit? The UK's byzantine VAT system explained Podcast This week, we dive into the oddities of the VAT system. 16 November 2023
The changes to the UK's net zero pathway explained Explainer What are the changes announced by the Prime Minister and what will their impacts be? 10 November 2023
The Expert Factor: What next for Net Zero? Podcast Recently, the government has sought to alter the UK's net zero plans. This week, the experts dig into the changes and assess their impact. 6 November 2023
Investment in training and skills Report The UK has seen a significant decline in investment in adult education and training. This chapter analyses how the skills system should be reformed. 12 October 2023
Behind the numbers: reassessing investment in skills and training Comment "There are concrete steps, such as reforming the Apprenticeship Levy, that the government should take to improve the existing skills system." 12 October 2023
An honest conversation about net zero Podcast We discuss the impact of the Prime Minister's announcement on net zero. 11 October 2023
Big changes to HS2 and education will prove a real test for Rishi Sunak Comment "Too many announcements, not enough evident strategy." Paul Johnson in The Times on the announcements in last week's Conservative Party Conference. 9 October 2023
Public sector net worth as a fiscal target Report We consider the case for and against a fiscal target for public sector net worth. 7 October 2023
Full expensing and the corporation tax base Report This report discusses the temporary full-expensing policy and whether it should be made a permanent part of the corporate tax base. 6 October 2023
Sunak’s weak intervention may prompt a climate change revolution Comment "We need some light shone on what needs doing and on how far away we are from doing it." Paul Johnson writes for The Times on our net zero targets. 25 September 2023
A look under the hood of Labour’s investment plans Comment Labour have promised £28 billion of green investment per year by the second half of the next parliament. £20 billion of this would be ‘additional’. 5 September 2023
Big firm, little firm: are differences between companies driving inequality and holding back growth? Podcast Debates about inequality often focus on inequalities between people. But what about inequalities between firms? 30 August 2023
Tax and public finances: the fundamentals Report This report highlights 10 key facts about UK tax and public finance policy that will underpin the choices faced by governments in coming decades. 23 August 2023
Freeports: What are they? What do we know? And what will we know? Report This report analyses the rationale for Freeports and what we can learn about their potential impact from past policies and a planned evaluation. 10 March 2023