After completing his master’s studies in Oxford, Matthew worked for nine years as an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. While there he studied for his PhD at University College London. A major theme of Matthew’s research has been the consumption and saving decisions of individuals and how these are affected by public policies and by the real and financial assets that are available. He has published in general interest journals such at the Journal of the European Economic Association, the Scandinavian Journal of Economics and Economica; and in field journals such as the Review of Economic Dynamics and the Journal of Health Economics. He also contributed to the influential “Mirrlees Review” of the principles behind the design of tax and benefit policy and their application to the UK.
Education
PhD Economics, University College London, 2009
PhM Economics, St John's College, 2000
BA (1st Class Honours) Philosophy, Politics and Economics, St John's College, 1998
This report explores evidence on current asset-holding amongst older individuals, how this varies with age and how it has changed over the last decade.
In this article we describe the trajectory of pension reform in the United Kingdom, which focuses on restraining the cost of the public program as the population ages while maintaining adequate income security for low-income households in retirement.
A discussion of how the UK pension system is responding to the pressures of an ageing population, and of the economics behind some of the latest reforms to the UK pension system.
We summarise what economic theory predicts about how retirement savings decisions are affected by marginal withdrawal rates created by the tax, tax credit and benefit system, and by the information individuals are provided with.
This Election Briefing Note aims to describe the key differences between the three main UK political parties on policies that might affect the ways in which individuals save and provide for the future, including the ways in which resources might be provided for retirement.
