<p>The difficulties encountered in forecasting social security expenditure (significantly underpredicted for much of the 1980s) have long been a source of concern-not least to officials in the DSS. Although official forecasts are undertaken and published primarily because they are needed for the public expenditure planning process, they should also palay a scientific role in testing the underlying theories abou the determinants of social security spending. </p>
Authors
![Richard Disney](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-05/Richard_Disney.jpeg?itok=l_sa1MjX)
Richard Disney
Research Associate University of Sussex
Richard is an IFS Research Associate, a Part-time Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex and a Visiting Professor of Economics at UCL.
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Steven Webb
Journal article details
- ISSN
- Print: 0143-5671 Online: 1475-5890
- Issue
- February 1990
Suggested citation
Disney, R and Webb, S. (1990). 'Why social security expenditure in the 1980s has risen faster than expected: the role of unemployment ' (1990)
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