Imran Tahir

What first attracted you to the IFS?

What attracted me to the IFS was the opportunity to use economics to answer important public policy questions. I remember first reading an IFS report on tax design during university and appreciating the way in which the theories we learnt in class were used to analyse real life policies. I also soon discovered that the IFS did research on a range of other topics that genuinely interested me, such as inequality and the returns to education.

Which projects are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on a few projects related to education inequalities and labour market policy. As part of the Deaton Review (the IFS’ large-scale review of inequalities), I’m looking at how educational inequalities develop throughout individuals’ time in education. On another project, I’m analysing an exciting new dataset that links school and health records to study the relationship between children’s health and educational attainment. My work on labour market policy evaluates the effectiveness of different training programmes both in the UK and abroad. For example, at the moment I’m involved in an RCT evaluation of a youth training scheme in Denmark.

What kind of things do you do during a typical day at work?

Most days at work involve a mixture of different tasks. The exact balance depends on the projects I’m working on, but a staple of any project is data analysis. Especially at the beginning of a project, I spend a significant share of time using statistical software to perform empirical analysis. I regularly meet with members of my project teams to discuss ideas and initial results. As well as conducting my own analysis, I spend time reading to ensure that I’m across the related literature and I understand the policy context of our research questions. Towards the end of a project, I’ll work on writing up a presentation or an article to communicate our findings.

What do you particularly enjoy about the job?

My favourite aspect of the job is the problem solving involved in research. I enjoy figuring out how to best use data and theory to answer research questions, and it’s always satisfying when an idea works out. Once we have answers, I also enjoy the challenge of communicating our findings in an engaging and straight-forward manner.

How has your career progressed so far?

During my time at the IFS, I’ve worked on a range of different projects and have had the opportunity to present my work to range of different audiences, including policy makers and academics. I’ve also developed my own research ideas which I’m pursuing as part of an Economics PhD at UCL.

What have you learned from working here?

I’ve learnt a lot from working at the IFS. I’ve gained a better understanding of the research process and have immensely improved a number of important practical skills, such as coding and report-writing. As well as improving my research skills, I’m continually building my knowledge on the policy areas I work on. All in all, working at the IFS is enabling me to develop a range of skills that are required to be a successful economist.

How would you describe the working environment?

The working environment is relaxed and supportive – everyone’s trusted to get on with their work without much oversight, but colleagues make time to support you when necessary. People genuinely care about your development, and even as a young researcher you’re actively encouraged to think independently and share your ideas. In general, everyone is passionate about their research and always happy to discuss their work, which makes it an excellent environment to work and grow as an economist.