"We shall squeeze... until the pips squeak"

Understand this issue

Should we worry about government debt?

podcast

David Miles joins us to discuss high government debt and its impact on the economy.

11 April 2024

Spring Budget 2024: What you need to know

podcast

IFS reaction to the Chancellor's Spring Budget.

7 March 2024

A mess has been made of Child Benefit, and the clear-up operation may not be easy

comment

"Status quos can be hard to change, no matter how incoherent they are." Robert Joyce writes about child benefit in The Telegraph.

29 March 2024

Policy analysis

Oil and gas make Scotland’s underlying public finances particularly volatile and uncertain

comment

A fallback in oil and gas prices has hit Scotland’s underlying public finance position this year.

27 March 2024

Spring Budget 2024

collection

All our analysis of the Spring Budget 2024. Includes research, comment, explainers and more.

6 March 2024

Health spending planned to fall in England and Scotland in 2024–25, suggesting a top-up likely

comment

Day-to-day spending on health in England is planned to fall in 2024–25 compared with the latest budgets for 2023–24.

4 March 2024

Academic research

Do work search requirements work? Evidence from a UK reform targeting single parents

working paper

We assess whether work search requirements for out-of-work welfare claimants are effective in inducing individuals to work & delivering fiscal savings

1 February 2023

The impact of area level mental health interventions on outcomes for secondary school pupils: Evidence from the HeadStart programme in England

working paper

This paper provides the first robust evaluation of the impacts on school outcomes of HeadStart for area-level mental health interventions.

13 October 2022

Prioritization, risk selection, and illness severity in a mixed health care system

working paper

We study the link between illness severity and the use of public health care services by the privately insured under a public health system.

16 June 2022