Scottish Budget 2024–25

Understand this issue

How to reduce child poverty: compare the policy options

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Use these charts to compare policies for reducing child poverty and to examine how child poverty rates have changed over time across different groups.

3 October 2024

It’s time to be honest about the funding of social care

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The fury about ending the winter fuel allowance is a diversion from a much important issue: our failing social care system.

16 September 2024

Can the new government fix the NHS?

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We look at the key challenges facing the NHS, and what the new government could do to tackle them.

14 August 2024

Policy analysis

Lower oil and gas prices hit Scotland’s underlying public finances in 2023-24

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Scotland’s notional fiscal deficit rose by £4.7 billion (2% of GDP) in 2023–24, as lower oil and gas prices hit North Sea revenues.

14 August 2024

Fiscal rules and investment in the upcoming Budget

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The government is reportedly considering a change to the debt rule to allow for more borrowing for investment. We consider some of the options.

27 September 2024

Devolution may be sexier, but updating the local government finance system is vital

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Any plans for devolution need to be accompanied by updates to English councils’ hideously outdated funding allocations.

3 September 2024

Academic research

Do work search requirements work? Evidence from a UK reform targeting single parents

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We assess whether work search requirements for out-of-work welfare claimants are effective in inducing individuals to work & delivering fiscal savings

1 February 2023

The impact of area level mental health interventions on outcomes for secondary school pupils: Evidence from the HeadStart programme in England

working paper

This paper provides the first robust evaluation of the impacts on school outcomes of HeadStart for area-level mental health interventions.

13 October 2022

Prioritization, risk selection, and illness severity in a mixed health care system

working paper

We study the link between illness severity and the use of public health care services by the privately insured under a public health system.

16 June 2022