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.
CEPR symposium of the Development Economics Programme publishes summary papers AnnouncementPhD students at UCL have published summaries of the papers presented at the CEPR symposium of the Development Economics Programme.22 February 2023
IFS response to new public finance figures Press ReleaseJanuary usually sees the government run an overall surplus, as this is the month when a large chunk of self-assessment receipts are paid. 21 February 2023
Bank of mum and dad drives increasing economic inequalities in early adulthood Press ReleaseWe look at the patterns in the giving and receiving of significant wealth transfers during life, and the association of transfers with life events. 13 February 2023
Scottish Budget changes to tax and benefit system widen gap with rest of the UK, with higher taxes and more redistribution to poorer families Press ReleaseWe analyse the impact of changes to devolved income tax rates and bands and benefits, and show the total impact of the changes.9 February 2023
NHS waiting lists unlikely to fall significantly in 2023 Press ReleaseNHS performance against its plan to clear the backlog of elective care has so far been mixed. We examine when NHS waiting lists could start to fall.8 February 2023
Our complex and poorly targeted system of tax subsidies for pensions needs reform Press ReleaseHow should pensions be taxed? We propose income tax and National Insurance reforms that would more evenly support pension saving.6 February 2023
Scottish councils may face cuts over the next two years even with 5% council tax increases Press ReleaseEven if Scottish councils were to increase council tax by 5% a year in each of the next two years they may face real-terms cuts to their funding.3 February 2023
Decades of benefit reforms have pushed more people into work – but very often into part-time, low-paid work with little prospect of progression Press ReleaseUK benefit reforms in recent decades have followed a consistent pattern.1 February 2023
Scottish Government faces major medium- and long-term budget challenges Press ReleaseWe show the stark funding challenges facing the Scottish Government and the public services it is responsible for over the next five years and beyond.26 January 2023
IFS response to new public finance figures Press Release"At £128 billion, borrowing in the first nine months of the financial year was close to the OBR's November forecast."24 January 2023
IFS Director Paul Johnson awarded honorary doctorate from University of York AnnouncementPaul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, had been awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the University of York.20 January 2023
In memory of Sir Alan Budd (1937 – 2023) AnnouncementThe IFS is greatly saddened to learn of the death of our friend and colleague, Alan Budd.19 January 2023
IFS Director Paul Johnson joins the Times Health Commission AnnouncementThe Times Health Commission aims to address the most urgent challenges facing health and social care.16 January 2023
Young people who graduated into pandemic suffered no lasting effects on careers, but next two waves of graduates face double whammy Press ReleaseIn 2020–21, the total number of hours worked by young people aged 16–24 fell by more than a fifth from 2019–20, a drop of over a billion hours. 11 January 2023
Large real cuts to student financial support to become permanent Press ReleaseThe government has allowed the large cuts to student support since 2020/21 to become baked in.11 January 2023
House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee publishes report on economic inactivity citing IFS research AnnouncementThe House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has published a report for which IFS Deputy Director Robert Joyce acted as a Specialist Advisor.20 December 2022
The Scottish Budget overstates increases in public-service spending next year compared to this – and tough choices loom, particularly for Scottish councils Press ReleaseWe analyse the plans for different public service budgets in the Scottish Budget. 16 December 2022
Overly generous tax treatment of pension pots at death needs to be swiftly ended Press ReleasePensions are treated more generously by the tax system as a vehicle for bequests than they are as a retirement income vehicle. 15 December 2022
Scottish Budget 2023-24 confirms big cuts to many public services Press ReleaseIFS response to the Scottish Budget.15 December 2022
The NHS in 2022: more funding, more staff, but treating fewer patients as COVID impacts linger Press ReleaseThis report examines how NHS funding, resources and treatment volumes compare with pre-pandemic levels.14 December 2022
