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) will deliver the 2024 IFS Annual Lecture on innovation and productivity policies.
Higher Education Access and Funding: challenges and policy options conference 14 May 2024 This one-day academic conference will look at access to and funding of Higher Education systems.
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.
Sure Start achieved its aims, then we threw it away Comment "We know that poor children grow up with poor life chances. We know how to ameliorate that. The choice is ours." Paul Johnson writes for the Times. 15 April 2024
Parental beliefs, perceived health risks, and time investment in children Working Paper What role did beliefs about risks and returns play for the allocation of time investment in children during the pandemic? 15 April 2024
What did Sure Start do for performance in school? Event 9 April 2024 at 10:00 via Slido and YouTube In this online event we presented the findings of a new report, showing the effect of Sure Start on educational performance in school up to age 16.
What did Sure Start do for performance in school? (Presentations) Presentation In this online event we presented the findings of a new report, showing the effect of Sure Start on educational performance in school up to age 16. 9 April 2024
The short- and medium-term impacts of Sure Start on educational outcomes Report We study the medium-run effect of Sure Start on academic outcomes, finding large benefits, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. 9 April 2024
Annual report on education spending in England: 2023 Report Our sixth annual report on education spending shows changes over time across different stages of education, as well as geographic differences. 11 December 2023
The effect of reducing welfare access on employment, health, and children's long-run outcomes Working Paper We find substantial and heterogeneous employment responses that increased average income despite reduced transfers. 30 October 2023
Early years spending update: Budget reforms and beyond Report The 2023 update analyses change in early years spending in the last 25 years and looks ahead to implications of major reforms announced in the Budget. 26 September 2023
Three challenges facing the newest Children’s Minister Comment We consider the challenges facing the newest Children’s Minister in delivering a huge expansion of funded childcare over the next two years. 31 August 2023
The effect of classroom rank on learning throughout elementary school: experimental evidence from Ecuador Working Paper We study the impact of classroom rank on children’s learning using a unique experiment from Ecuador. 8 August 2023
How did parents’ experiences in the labour market shape children’s social and emotional development during the pandemic? Report Around 50% of families saw changes in labour market status during the COVID-19 pandemic. This impacted the emotional development of their children. 1 August 2023
Parental labour market instability and children's mental health during the pandemic Working Paper In this paper we study the impact of the COVID pandemic on the mental health of school-age children in England. 1 August 2023
Intergenerational altruism and transfers of time and money: a life cycle perspective Working Paper We find that time investments, educational investments, and assortative matching have a greater impact on generating inequality than cash transfers. 28 February 2023
Parental beliefs, perceived health risks, and time investment in children: evidence from COVID-19 Working Paper What role did parental beliefs about risks and returns play for the allocation of time with children during the pandemic? 25 November 2022
Early years spending update: The impact of inflation Report Our 2022 update discusses how early years education funding has changed over time, and what inflation means for childcare providers going forward. 11 November 2022
Public childcare, labor market outcomes of caregivers, and child development: experimental evidence from Brazil Working Paper This study examines the impact of publicly provided daycare for children aged 0-3 on outcomes of children and their caregivers. 8 November 2022
The health effects of universal early childhood interventions: evidence from Sure Start Working Paper We evaluate the short- and medium-term health impacts of Sure Start. 13 October 2022
Early Childhood Development, Human Capital, and Poverty Journal article In this article, we discuss the framework used in economics to model parental investments and early childhood development. 1 August 2022
Families and inequalities Report Families play a key role in nurturing, socialising and supporting children. Britain has seen marked changes in partnership and parenting behaviours. 28 July 2022
Parental Investments and Intra-household Inequality in Child Human Capital: Evidence from a Lab-in-the-Field Experiment Working Paper I study the role played by parents’ educational investment to explain this inequality and its determinants. 21 July 2022
