The justice system in England and Wales is a major area of public spending, yet one that economists have devoted relatively little attention to. Despite the central role justice plays in supporting social relations, economic activity and trust in the state, rigorous quantitative analysis of how the system works remains scarce.
This event marks the launch of a major new report bringing together insights from the IFS Transforming Justice programme, established in 2024 and funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The report responds to the relative lack of quantitative economic analysis of the justice system, drawing on a range of studies that examine its different parts. It organises this emerging body of work around a single connecting theme: the importance of resources for the functioning of the justice system, where resources mean not only financial spending, but the fuller set of inputs that shape the system's capacity and performance, including infrastructure and management.
At this event, IFS researchers will introduce the report and present its key findings, showing why it matters to understand how resources are allocated and used within the justice system, whether they are being deployed efficiently, and how they shape outcomes both within the justice system and beyond it. Following the presentations, a panel of respondents will offer their reflections, before a wider panel discussion and audience Q&A. Attendees are warmly invited to stay for refreshments and networking at the close of the event.
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