Lord Gus O'Donnell

President and Trustee

Gus O'Donnell is Chairman of Frontier Economics, Strategic Advisor to TD Bank, Executive Director and Strategic Advisor to Brookfield Asset Management, President of the Council of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Chair of the Board of Trustees for Pro Bono Economics, Visiting Professor at LSE and UCL, a member of the Economist Trust, and Chair of the Behavioural Insights Team Advisory Board at the Cabinet Office. Gus was Cabinet Secretary and Head of the British Civil Service from 2005-2011. In 2010, he oversaw the introduction of the first coalition government since the Second World War. Previously, he was Permanent Secretary of the Treasury from 2002-2005 and served on the IMF and World Bank Boards. 

Gus studied Economics at Warwick University and Nuffield College, Oxford, then lectured at Glasgow University. Knighted in 2005, Gus was appointed to the House of Lords in 2012, sitting as a crossbencher (i.e. not affiliated to any political party). Gus is an Honorary Fellow of the British Academy and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Lord Gus O'Donnell: all content

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IFS Annual Lecture: Gus O'Donnell - "The Covid Tragedy: following the science or the sciences?"

Event 24 September 2020 at 19:00 <p>Please see above for details on how to watch this event online.</p>
This year's IFS Annual Lecture will be held online and will feature Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary to three Prime Ministers and head of the Civil Service, looking at possible lessons from the relatively poor performance of the UK, in responding to the Covid crisis, on both health and economic dimensions.
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Is it time for a UK wealth tax?

Event 2 July 2020 at 11:00 <p>Please see above for details on how to watch this event online.</p>
The COVID-19 crisis has exposed growing inequalities and provoked a debate about the rebuilding of public finances. This event will launch a new project investigating the desirability and feasibility of a wealth tax in the UK.
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Is it time for a UK wealth tax?

Presentation

This event launched a new project investigating the desirability and feasibility of a wealth tax in the UK. The format was short presentations setting out the evolution of UK wealth and the possible rationales and difficulties of introducing a wealth tax followed by a discussion.

2 July 2020

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UK policy coordination: the importance of institutional design

Journal article

This paper considers the principles that underpin the design of the UK's macroeconomic framework, with particular emphasis on the importance of good institutional design in ensuring effective coordination of monetary and fiscal policy when an independent Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee has operational responsibility for setting interest rates.

1 March 2002