
What is investment spending? Why is investment so much lower now than it was 40 or 50 years ago?
Listen now: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Acast | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS
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.

Senior Research Economist
Ben is a Senior Research Economist and an editor of the IFS Green Budget. His work focuses on the health and social care system and UK fiscal policy.
Podcast details
- Publisher
- IFS
More from IFS
Understand this issue

The changes to the UK's net zero pathway explained
10 November 2023

Cake or biscuit? The UK's byzantine VAT system explained
16 November 2023

Behind the numbers: reassessing investment in skills and training
12 October 2023
Policy analysis

Adult skills spending down by a third since early 2000s – but it’s about much more than funding levels
12 October 2023

Investment in training and skills
12 October 2023

Public sector net worth as a fiscal target
7 October 2023
Academic research

Firms and inequality
3 March 2022

Labeled loans and human capital investments
14 January 2023

House price rises and borrowing to invest
6 April 2022