
What is investment spending? Why is investment so much lower now than it was 40 or 50 years ago?
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The government has pledged to make 'levelling up' a core part of their policy agenda. To achieve this, they have promised increased investment spending and infrastructure spending.
What is investment spending? Why is investment so much lower now than it was 40 or 50 years ago? How does this relate to recent announcements from the government, and the response to the pandemic?
Joining us today are Professor Sir Tim Besley, Professor of Economics at LSE and member of the National Infrastructure Commission, and Ben Zaranko, Research Economist at IFS.
Host

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.
Participants

Research Associate London School of Economics
Timothy is a Research Associate at the IFS and a Professor of Economics and Political Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Associate Director
Ben joined the IFS in 2017 and works across a range of areas, including UK fiscal policy and the productivity of the health and social care system.
Podcast details
- DOI
- 10.1920/pd.ifs.2024.0071
- Publisher
- IFS
Suggested citation
. (2020). Investment, infrastructure and levelling up [Podcast] IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/investment-infrastructure-and-levelling (accessed: 25 June 2025).
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