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.
This week, we are digging into the archives. In this episode from last year we spoke with Professor Sir Tim Besley, Professor of Economics at LSE and member of the National Infrastructure Commission, and Ben Zaranko, Research Economist at IFS on how investment relates to the government's levelling up agenda.
The observation looks at how teacher pay has changed over time, finding that teacher pay levels in 2021 will be about 8% lower in real terms than in 2007, and whether the current freeze on teacher pay levels is sustainable.
As lockdowns are lifted and more economic activity is resumed, the extent, speed and nature of the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic will be a crucial determinant of the Chancellor’s options at the upcoming Spending Review, expected this autumn.
"We’ll know we are on the way to levelling up when differences in health and life expectancy across the country start to drop. Sadly, that’s one measure of inequality that has clearly been moving in the wrong direction over the past decade." Paul Johnson writes for The Times on levelling up.
Events
Upcoming event
| Date | 13 September 2021 | 15:30 - 16:45 |
| Location | Online only |
| Availablity | Places available |
This is the first in a series of online events looking in detail at the three major economic challenges identified by the Tirole-Blanchard Commission, featuring presentations by Stefanie Stantcheva and Dani Rodrik.
Upcoming event
| Date | 14 September 2021 | 15:00 - 16:15 |
| Location | Online only |
| Availablity | Places available |
This is the second in a series of online events looking in detail at the three major economic challenges identified by the Tirole-Blanchard Commission, featuring presentations by Christian Gollier and Mar Reguant.
Upcoming event
| Date | 16 September 2021 | 18:30 - 20:00 |
| Location | The Royal Society, London |
| Availablity | Places available |
We’re pleased to announce that Nobel laureate Professor Jean Tirole, Toulouse School of Economics, will give the 2021 IFS Annual Lecture on economics for the common good after Covid.
Older articles
How should we think about reforming social care? How should we pay for it? And what can we learn from other countries? Paul speaks with Andrew Dilnot, author of the Dilnot Report on Social Care, and Natasha Curry, Deputy Director of Policy at the Nuffield Trust and expert on social care.
The Universal Credit £20 uplift is due to be withdrawn. We look at the implications of this decision and policy options.
This report examines how household incomes were changing in the UK up to the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how other measures of household living standards have changed over the course of the pandemic.
In this pre-released chapter from the annual Households Below Average Income report, we look at the impact the pandemic has had on the labour market.
"It is obvious how important state spending has been to protecting health and income over the past year. The role of family has also been crucial." Paul Johnson in The Times on the role of family in mitigating financial hardships for many.
How does decision-making work at the Treasury? Paul speaks to Jill Rutter, senior research fellow of UK in a Changing Europe and a former employee of the Treasury, and Lord Nick Macpherson, Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 2005 to 2016.
News and announcements
Working papers
IFS Working Paper W21/22
IFS Working Paper W21/21
IFS Working Paper W21/20