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.
Behind the numbers: reassessing investment in skills and training Comment "There are concrete steps, such as reforming the Apprenticeship Levy, that the government should take to improve the existing skills system." 12 October 2023
Investment in training and skills Report The UK has seen a significant decline in investment in adult education and training. This chapter analyses how the skills system should be reformed. 12 October 2023
Schools and segregation: a comparison of Scotland and England Comment We study how the different ways pupils are assigned to schools in England and Scotland relate to income segregation in schools and neighbourhoods. 10 October 2023
School and neighbourhood segregation in Scotland and England Report We document the patterns of neighbourhood and secondary school segregation across England and Scotland 10 October 2023
Big changes to HS2 and education will prove a real test for Rishi Sunak Comment "Too many announcements, not enough evident strategy." Paul Johnson in The Times on the announcements in last week's Conservative Party Conference. 9 October 2023
What is happening to school funding and costs in England? Comment Schools funding in England is going up faster than economy-wide inflation, but not as fast as the cost pressures schools actually face. 5 October 2023
IFS response to the Prime Minister's proposed Advanced British Standard education reform Comment The Prime Minister's proposed Advanced British Standard is an ambitious reform. 4 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
Unveiling school effectiveness: Progress 8, parental choices and closing the achievement gap Report We show that Progress 8 is a reliable measure of school effectiveness and that parents often do not apply to their most effective local school. 21 September 2023
Intergenerational mobility in the UK Report Your parents’ income and wealth is of ever-growing importance in determining your own position in the lifetime income distribution. 7 September 2023
The decline in spending on school buildings Comment We analyse trends in school capital spending in England, both in historical terms and compared with levels of need. 4 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
Disability, illness and pain are real problems for the entire economy Comment "Tackling them should be near the top of any list of social and economic priorities." Paul Johnson writes in the Times. 28 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
Comparing the 2022 system and the 2023 system, 2023 entry cohort Data Item Comparing the 2022 system and the 2023 system, 2023 entry cohort 26 July 2023
Student finance calculator - England Calculator This calculator produces rough estimates of the costs and distributional consequences of different reforms to the student loans system in England. 20 July 2023
Student loans in England explained and options for reform Explainer How does the student loan system currently work in England, what will change for new students in 2023, and what are some of the options for reform? 20 July 2023
Exploiting discontinuities in secondary school attendance to evaluate value added Working Paper We use a new empirical strategy to test various measures of school effectiveness in England. 19 July 2023
Tax, private school fees and state school spending Report This report compares private school fees and state school spending. It also examines Labour’s proposals to remove tax exemptions from private schools. 11 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
