Against the backdrop of the UK's biggest peacetime fiscal deficit the government is embarking on an unprecedented set of spending cuts. Paul Johnson argues that we we should not see these cuts as either the beginning, or the end, of dramatic change in the public sector.
Authors
Director
Paul has been the Director of the IFS since 2011. He is also currently visiting professor in the Department of Economics at University College London.
Comment details
- Publisher
- IFS
Suggested citation
Johnson, P. (2012). The fiscal deficit and spending cuts are the challenge of a generation [Comment] IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/fiscal-deficit-and-spending-cuts-are-challenge-generation (accessed: 30 June 2024).
More from IFS
Understand this issue
Election Special: The big issues politicians haven't spoken about
25 June 2024
Election Special: Your questions answered
27 June 2024
Cuts to council services likely unless cost pressures abate – even with the biggest council tax increases for 20 years
21 June 2024
Policy analysis
How should we interpret parties’ public spending pledges this election?
23 June 2024
Main parties’ manifestos tell us little about the funding individual public services would actually receive
23 June 2024
How would the parties’ tax and spending plans affect Scotland and Wales?
28 June 2024
Academic research
The role of hospital networks in individual mortality
13 May 2024
6th World Bank/IFS/ODI Public Finance Conference | Driving Progress: Public Finance and Structural Transformation
Forced displacement, mental health, and child development: Evidence from Rohingya refugees
10 May 2024