Our goal at the Institute for Fiscal Studies is to promote effective
economic and social policies by better understanding how policies affect
individuals, families, businesses and the government's finances.
In his latest piece for The Times, Paul Johnson writes about the return to the office.
In this report, we provide fresh evidence on the nature of paid work at older ages, how employment patterns differ for people in different circumstances and how the situation is changing over time.
There is a widespread consensus that the implementation of council tax is flawed. Joining us this week to dissect council tax and work out how we can reform it are David Phillips, Associate Director at IFS and local government expert, and John Stevenson, the Conservative MP for Carlisle who has written extensively about reforming council tax.
Taxes are often the subject of debate; that is as it should be. But those debates need to be well-informed to produce sensible policy outcomes.
Events
Upcoming event
| Date | 23 June 2021 | 09:30 - 11:00 |
| Location | Online only |
| Availablity | Places available |
The ‘gig economy’ has grown and risen up the policy agenda in recent years. The associated growth in people working through their own businesses and in work happening through platforms highlights difficult questions about when to have boundaries in the tax system and where to put them.
Upcoming event
| Date | 30 June 2021 | 17:00 - 18:00 |
| Location | Online only |
| Availablity | Places available |
Our annual event for IFS members will take place online this year, giving our supporters an exclusive insight into the work going on behind the scenes at the institute and providing an opportunity to ask questions directly to senior researchers.
Upcoming event
| Date | 07 July 2021 | 14:00 - 15:30 |
| Location | Online only |
| Availablity | Places available |
The uneven roll-out of vaccines around the world means that the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be particularly challenging for low-and middle-income countries, including those in Africa, over the next 18 months. At this event, researchers will present work which considers the fiscal and tax policy challenges and opportunities facing countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Older articles
In new research published today, data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing COVID-19 Substudy were used to examine the perceptions of people in their late 50s and over, in terms of the effect of the crisis on both their current income and wealth, and on their future retirement incomes.
'The power of the Treasury needs constant challenge and scrutiny, but in the end, it needs to play its role in challenging and scrutinising the rest of government. It needs to be unpopular.' Paul Johnson in The Times on the Treasury's role in last week's decisions on education spending.
This study, which exploits publicly available data on mortality, populations and deprivation in England, examines mortality inequalities at different ages and whether changes over time come from the richest, the middle or the poorest areas changing at different rates.
In this observation we look at the arguments to consider when assessing the recently announced £1.4bn schools catch-up funding.
We discuss COVID's impact on the NHS with Associate Director George Stoye and Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Providers.
New IFS research, published today in two reports, suggests that a combined programme of mentorship, networking and practical support can help talented but disadvantaged young people to access top-tier universities.
News and announcements
Working papers
IFS Working Paper W21/14
IFS Working Paper W21/15
IFS Working Paper W21/12