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.
Public service spending has become significantly more progressive since the 1980s Comment Changes in the composition of spending and rising education participation mean public service spending is more progressive than in the 1980s & 1990s. 31 May 2023
We must act now to prevent a real pensions crisis developing in future Comment "If we are to avoid sleepwalking into a future much worse than the present, we need to start acting now." Paul Johnson writes for the Times. 24 April 2023
Challenges for the UK pension system: the case for a pensions review Report This report makes the case that economic and policy changes in the last two decades necessitate a comprehensive review of the UK pension system. 20 April 2023
Lower oil and gas prices set to hit Scotland’s underlying public finances Comment Scotland’s underlying fiscal position is set to improve by much less than expected last year, as oil and gas prices fall back. 3 April 2023
Raising the state pension age risks trapping millions in poverty Comment "Exactly when next to raise the pension age is a matter of judgment and trade-offs." Paul Johnson writes for the Times. 27 March 2023
The planned increase in the state pension age from 67 to 68 Comment There are reports that the government will no longer increase the state pension age between 2037-39. We examine the key considerations for this delay. 25 March 2023
Three key takeaways from our TaxDev Tax Expenditures Workshop Comment Tax expenditure reporting is vital but challenging – this briefing covers three key takeaways from a recent workshop on the topic. 17 March 2023
How a tax exemption can increase revenues Comment Tax exemptions must surely reduce revenues, right? This briefing explains why that’s not always true for VAT. 17 March 2023
Spring Budget 2023 Collection Our analysis on the choices facing the Chancellor leading up, during and after the 2023 Spring Budget. 15 March 2023
At last, we are back to a normal budget, but don’t expect many treats Comment "A stagnant economy leaves little room for either more spending or less tax." Paul Johnson writes for the Times ahead of Wednesday's Spring Budget. 13 March 2023
Freeports and Investment Zones – what sorts of things should we consider when assessing whether they are good policy? Comment We discuss the economic issues central to whether Freeports and Investment Zones are a good idea. 10 March 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
Better Budgets: has tax policy making improved? Event 6 March 2023 at 17:45 Institute for Government, 2 Carlton Gardens, London, 5AA Six years on, this event looked back on the conclusions and the recommendations of our report on ‘Better Budgets: making tax policy better’.
Spring Budget 2023: the challenges ahead Event 28 February 2023 at 10:00 via Slido and Youtube Jeremy Hunt delivered his first Budget on 15th of March. At this online event, IFS researchers outlined the challenges he faced.
The fiscal backdrop to Spring Budget 2023 Comment How might recent economic developments affect the outlook for the public finances, and what does this mean for the Chancellor’s options at the Budget? 28 February 2023
Public finances may be improving, but personal circumstances certainly are not Comment "Don’t be lulled into thinking we have reached the bottom of hole into which living standards have been sliding. We almost certainly haven’t." 27 February 2023
Strikes, Budgets, Brexit and elections: a look ahead to 2023 Podcast The IFS podcast returns with a look at what to expect in 2023. 11 January 2023
A monetary-fiscal theory of sudden inflations Working Paper This paper posits an information channel as the explanation for sudden inflations. 20 December 2022
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
Scotland’s relative public finance position is set to improve significantly, but only temporarily Comment Scotland’s underlying deficit is falling fast as the UK’s is rising due to oil and gas revenues – but this isn’t forecast to last. 1 December 2022
