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.
Unfunded mandates and taxation Journal article In mid-2006, the Chinese central government increased the salaries and pensions of civil servants in its coastal areas but a funded mandate in others. 14 March 2024
What will the Budget mean for councils? Comment This comment published in The MJ looks at what the Chancellor's Spring Budget could mean for councils 27 February 2024
The IFS Scottish Budget Report – 2024–25 Report This report looks at the key budgetary and public service issues for the Scottish Government for the 2024–25 financial year and beyond. 22 February 2024
Are councils in crisis? Podcast Why are local councils facing funding pressures? What can government do to help them? 14 February 2024
Scottish Budget: Tax and spending in 2024–25 Report The Scottish Government is raising taxes on the 5% highest-income Scots, but health funding is, on current plans, set to fall in real terms next year. 6 February 2024
Scottish Budget: The medium-term outlook and choices Report Devolved income tax revenues are forecast to boost the Scottish Government’s funding over the next five years, but many services could still see cuts. 6 February 2024
The economic, fiscal and funding outlook Presentation In this presentation to the LGA Finance Conference, IFS researchers look at the economic, fiscal and funding outlook for English councils. 15 January 2024
The 2024–25 local government finance settlement: the real pain is still to come Comment Councils are set to see a 6.5% increase in funding next year. While rising costs mean this won’t stretch that far, the real pain will hit from 2025 on 19 December 2023
What does the Autumn Statement mean for local government and public service spending? Comment Kate Ogden explains the impact of the Autumn Statement on public services, council funding and devolution deals. 24 November 2023
Assessing the Welsh Government’s consultation on reforms to council tax Report We analyse the impact of the possible approaches to council tax reform set out in the Welsh Government’s consultation on ‘A fairer council tax’. 14 November 2023
Revaluation and reform of Welsh council tax should proceed without delay Comment We analyse the impact of the possible approaches to council tax reform set out in the Welsh Government’s consultation on ‘A fairer council tax’. 14 November 2023
The outlook for government and council funding Presentation This presentation to Scottish voluntary organisations looks at the funding outlook and issues facing the Scottish Government and councils. 5 October 2023
How much public spending does each area receive? Local authority level estimates of health, police, school and local government spending Report How much funding does each area of England receive for key public services, and is this funding allocated in line with patterns of needs? 15 August 2023
How much was spent on public services in your area in 2022-23? Calculator Explore how much funding your area receives for key public services, and whether this funding is in line with patterns of needs 15 August 2023
A forward look on finance Presentation This LGA 2023 Annual Conference presentation sets out the broad economic and fiscal context and the funding and policy outlook for local government. 5 July 2023
Need, funding and geographic inequalities Presentation This LGA 2023 Annual Conference presentation discusses some key issues with how public service spending is allocated across England. 5 July 2023
Government spending has long been targeted at the poorest in our society Comment Paul Johnson writes for The Times on how taking account of public service spending is critical to assessing the government's redistribution of wealth. 5 June 2023
Scottish Budget 2023–24: further analysis Report The aim of this report is to look at some of the key implications of the Scottish Budget for the coming year, and for the longer term. 17 February 2023
The economic and fiscal outlook: modelling the impact on local government Presentation Slides from David Phillips and Kate Ogden's presentation at the 2023 LGA Annual Local Government Finance Conference. 11 January 2023
English councils’ core spending power is set to grow by up to 11% in real-terms over the next two years Comment The local government finance policy statement confirms a boost to councils’ funding over the next two years, targeted at social care and poorer areas. 16 December 2022
