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.
Chancellors’ responses to economic news ReportChancellors don’t respond symmetrically to good and bad economic news. This represents a risk to the accuracy of official borrowing forecasts. 28 September 2023
Reforming inheritance tax ReportWe set out issues with the inheritance tax system and examine options for reform and the distributional impacts of reforming or abolishing the tax.27 September 2023
Early years spending update: Budget reforms and beyond ReportThe 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 ReportWe 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
Large business tax disputes ReportAre avoidable disputes arising between businesses and HMRC and why do delays occur between the opening and closing of enquiries.14 September 2023
The triple lock: uncertainty for pension incomes and the public finances ReportThe pensions triple lock has increased state pension spending and creates uncertainty for current and future generations of pensioners.8 September 2023
Intergenerational mobility in the UK ReportYour parents’ income and wealth is of ever-growing importance in determining your own position in the lifetime income distribution.7 September 2023
Implications of the NHS workforce plan ReportThe NHS workforce plan aims for a large expansion in health service staffing. We examine the potential implications for NHS funding. 30 August 2023
Tax and public finances: the fundamentals ReportThis report highlights 10 key facts about UK tax and public finance policy that will underpin the choices faced by governments in coming decades.23 August 2023
How much public spending does each area receive? Local authority level estimates of health, police, school and local government spending ReportHow 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
Employment, earnings and incomes in Scotland ReportHow have employment, earnings and incomes performed in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK? What drives geographic inequalities within Scotland?9 August 2023
How did parents’ experiences in the labour market shape children’s social and emotional development during the pandemic? ReportAround 50% of families saw changes in labour market status during the COVID-19 pandemic. This impacted the emotional development of their children.1 August 2023
The costs of obesity - an update ReportPolicies that aim to reduce the prevalence of obesity have been high on the policy agenda for many years.13 July 2023
Living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK: 2023 ReportWe investigate how living standards have changed for different groups in the UK, with a particular focus on the cost of living payments and housing.13 July 2023
Poverty ReportWe investigate recent trends in poverty, and government policies aimed at alleviating it. 13 July 2023
Tax, private school fees and state school spending ReportThis 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
Living standards and inequality ReportWe examine recent trends in households’ living standards, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21 and 2021–22.7 July 2023
How important are defined contribution pensions for financing retirement? ReportWe provide new evidence on the importance of defined contribution pensions in financing the retirement of those currently approaching retirement. 30 June 2023
Housing quality and affordability for lower-income households ReportWe examine patterns of housing tenure, quality and affordability for people on lower incomes.27 June 2023
Fiscal policy and gender income inequality: the role of taxes and social spending ReportPersistent inequalities between women and men in income, unpaid work, paid work and other dimensions disadvantage women.23 June 2023