More from IFS
Understand this issue

Share of apprenticeship budget spent on each apprenticeship level
The proportion of funding directed to higher-level apprenticeships (level 4 and above) has trebled between 2017–18 and 2021–22 from 13% to 39%.
16 January 2025

Rethinking the Education Maintenance Allowance: Lessons from a long-term analysis
This evidence should prompt us to look beyond simple financial incentives for classroom attendance.
10 March 2025

Biggest welfare saving fiscal events (policy measures targeted at working-age and children)
Today it was confirmed that the changes to welfare represent a £4.2bn net saving by 2029-30 (2025-26 prices).
26 March 2025
Policy analysis

The short- and long-run effects of the Education Maintenance Allowance
This report studies the long-run effect of the Education Maintenance Allowance on educational attainment, earnings and crime.
26 February 2025

Spring Statement 2025: initial IFS response
In response to deteriorating global economic conditions, Rachel Reeves chose to fine-tune her spending plans to continue to meet her fiscal rules.
26 March 2025

Spending & revenues as a share of national income: out-turn and March 2025 forecast
Government spending in 2029-30 is set to remain 4% of national income above its pre-pandemic level.
26 March 2025
Academic research

The short- and long-run effects of paying disadvantaged teenagers to go to school
This working paper studies the long-run effect of a cash transfer to disadvantaged students on educational attainment, earnings and crime.
26 February 2025

Vog: using volcanic eruptions to estimate the impact of air pollution on student test scores
We demonstrate that poor air quality disproportionately impacts the human capital accumulation of economically disadvantaged children.
20 February 2025

Changes in marital sorting: theory and evidence from the US
Measuring how assortative matching differs between two economies is difficult, we show how the use of different measures can create different outcomes
27 November 2024