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Cute baby
Previous research published by the IFS has shown that children born at the start of the academic year achieve better exam results, on average, than children born at the end of the academic year. New research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, provides fresh evidence on the extent to which these differences continue to affect individuals throughout their lives. It also provides new insight into what explains these differences, which is crucial in order to understand the most appropriate policy response.
Observations: reflections on current events
08 May 2013
Observations
Cutting the deficit: three years down, five to go?
The UK is in the fourth year of a planned eight-year fiscal tightening. Following further announcements made in Budget 2013, this fiscal consolidation is now forecast to total £143 billion by 2017–18. The UK is intending the fourth largest fiscal consolidation among the 29 advanced economies for which comparable data are available. By the end of this financial year, half of the total consolidation is expected to have been implemented. However, within this tax increases and cuts to investment spending have been relatively front-loaded, while cuts to welfare spending and other non-investment spending have been relatively back-loaded.
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Research areas
Featured publications and research
March 2013
Article
Incentives, shocks or signals: labour supply effects of increasing the female state pension age in the UK
This paper uses data from the first two years after the change to the female state pension age to estimate the impact of increasing the state pension age from 60 to 61 on the employment of women and their partners.
May 2013
Article
Response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs' call for evidence: 'Taxing corporations in a global economy: is a new approach needed?'
Analysis of corporate tax system and suggestions for reform.
Recent publications & research
22 May 2013
Public payment and private provision
The changing landscape of health care in the 2000s
22 May 2013
Likelihood inference in some finite mixture models
22 May 2013
How much should be spent on the NHS?
Discussion of the funding of the National Health Service in the wake of the spending review.
More publications & research
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Latest News
IFS Director Paul Johnson to lead a review of consumer price statistics
16 May 2013
IFS reponse to House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs' Call for Evidence
16 May 2013
More IFS news
Events
A workshop on evaluating the impact of youth programmes
03 Jun 13
Workshop
Fiscal Studies journal event: labour productivity and wages over the course of the recession
12 Jun 13
Conference
Living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK: 2013
14 Jun 13
Conference
More events
Impact on Society
The 'patent box' proposal
IFS researchers used knowledge from past findings to analyse the potential impact of a proposed reduction in corporation tax to encourage innovation.
The temporary VAT cut
Government departments used IFS research to inform decision-marking about a temporary cut in VAT.
Contact details
The Institute for Fiscal Studies
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London
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tel: 020 7291 4800
fax: 020 7323 4780