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How important is the OBR forecast?
podcast
<p>The OBR forecast will underpin the Chancellor’s decisions at the next Spring Forecast.</p>
12 February 2025
Do tariffs work?
podcast
<p>We discuss the economic consequences of tariffs, why governments use them, and whether they actually achieve their intended goals.</p>
23 January 2025
How can we make government more productive?
podcast
<div class="flex-shrink-0 flex flex-col relative items-end"><div><div class="pt-0"><div class="gizmo-bot-avatar flex h-8 w-8 items-center justify-center overflow-hidden rounded-full"><div class="relative p-1 rounded-sm flex items-center justify-center bg-token-main-surface-primary text-token-text-primary h-8 w-8"><svg class="icon-md" width="41" height="41" viewBox="0 0 41 41" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" role="img"><text x="-9999" y="-9999"></text><path d="M37.5324 16.8707C37.9808 15.5241 38.1363 14.0974 37.9886 12.6859C37.8409 11.2744 37.3934 9.91076 36.676 8.68622C35.6126 6.83404 33.9882 5.3676 32.0373 4.4985C30.0864 3.62941 27.9098 3.40259 25.8215 3.85078C24.8796 2.7893 23.7219 1.94125 22.4257 1.36341C21.1295 0.785575 19.7249 0.491269 18.3058 0.500197C16.1708 0.495044 14.0893 1.16803 12.3614 2.42214C10.6335 3.67624 9.34853 5.44666 8.6917 7.47815C7.30085 7.76286 5.98686 8.3414 4.8377 9.17505C3.68854 10.0087 2.73073 11.0782 2.02839 12.312C0.956464 14.1591 0.498905 16.2988 0.721698 18.4228C0.944492 20.5467 1.83612 22.5449 3.268 24.1293C2.81966 25.4759 2.66413 26.9026 2.81182 28.3141C2.95951 29.7256 3.40701 31.0892 4.12437 32.3138C5.18791 34.1659 6.8123 35.6322 8.76321 36.5013C10.7141 37.3704 12.8907 37.5973 14.9789 37.1492C15.9208 38.2107 17.0786 39.0587 18.3747 39.6366C19.6709 40.2144 21.0755 40.5087 22.4946 40.4998C24.6307 40.5054 26.7133 39.8321 28.4418 38.5772C30.1704 37.3223 31.4556 35.5506 32.1119 33.5179C33.5027 33.2332 34.8167 32.6547 35.9659 31.821C37.115 30.9874 38.0728 29.9178 38.7752 28.684C39.8458 26.8371 40.3023 24.6979 40.0789 22.5748C39.8556 20.4517 38.9639 18.4544 37.5324 16.8707ZM22.4978 37.8849C20.7443 37.8874 19.0459 37.2733 17.6994 36.1501C17.7601 36.117 17.8666 36.0586 17.936 36.0161L25.9004 31.4156C26.1003 31.3019 26.2663 31.137 26.3813 30.9378C26.4964 30.7386 26.5563 30.5124 26.5549 30.2825V19.0542L29.9213 20.998C29.9389 21.0068 29.9541 21.0198 29.9656 21.0359C29.977 21.052 29.9842 21.0707 29.9867 21.0902V30.3889C29.9842 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20.0556L22.2312 14.4411L25.5976 12.4981C25.6142 12.4872 25.6333 12.4805 25.6531 12.4787C25.6729 12.4769 25.6928 12.4801 25.7111 12.4879L33.7631 17.1364C34.9967 17.849 36.0017 18.8982 36.6606 20.1613C37.3194 21.4244 37.6047 22.849 37.4832 24.2684C37.3617 25.6878 36.8382 27.0432 35.9743 28.1759C35.1103 29.3086 33.9415 30.1717 32.6047 30.6641C32.6047 30.5947 32.6047 30.4733 32.6047 30.3889V21.188C32.6066 20.9586 32.5474 20.7328 32.4332 20.5338C32.319 20.3348 32.154 20.1698 31.955 20.0556ZM35.3055 15.0128C35.2464 14.9765 35.1431 14.9142 35.069 14.8717L27.1045 10.2712C26.906 10.1554 26.6803 10.0943 26.4504 10.0943C26.2206 10.0943 25.9948 10.1554 25.7963 10.2712L16.0726 15.8858V11.9982C16.0715 11.9783 16.0753 11.9585 16.0837 11.9405C16.0921 11.9225 16.1048 11.9068 16.1207 11.8949L24.1719 7.25025C25.4053 6.53903 26.8158 6.19376 28.2383 6.25482C29.6608 6.31589 31.0364 6.78077 32.2044 7.59508C33.3723 8.40939 34.2842 9.53945 34.8334 10.8531C35.3826 12.1667 35.5464 13.6095 35.3055 15.0128ZM14.2424 21.9419L10.8752 19.9981C10.8576 19.9893 10.8423 19.9763 10.8309 19.9602C10.8195 19.9441 10.8122 19.9254 10.8098 19.9058V10.6071C10.8107 9.18295 11.2173 7.78848 11.9819 6.58696C12.7466 5.38544 13.8377 4.42659 15.1275 3.82264C16.4173 3.21869 17.8524 2.99464 19.2649 3.1767C20.6775 3.35876 22.0089 3.93941 23.1034 4.85067C23.0427 4.88379 22.937 4.94215 22.8668 4.98473L14.9024 9.58517C14.7025 9.69878 14.5366 9.86356 14.4215 10.0626C14.3065 10.2616 14.2466 10.4877 14.2479 10.7175L14.2424 21.9419ZM16.071 17.9991L20.4018 15.4978L24.7325 17.9975V22.9985L20.4018 25.4983L16.071 22.9985V17.9991Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></div></div></div></div></div><div class="group/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn"><div class="flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3"><div class="flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow"><div class="min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words [.text-message+&]:mt-5" data-message-author-role="assistant" data-message-id="1583144b-b0e6-447e-84af-e4d9e5215ef5" dir="auto" data-message-model-slug="gpt-4o"><div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]"><div class="markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert dark"><p>How can the public sector do more with less? We explore productivity trends, government reform and lessons from private sector innovation.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div>
3 December 2024
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Scottish Budget 2025-26: IFS analysis
event 20 February 2025
<p>At this online event, IFS researchers will present their analysis of the Scottish Budget proposals and the wider Scottish tax and spending context.</p>
Did the Education Maintenance Allowance improve outcomes?
event 26 February 2025
<p>At this online event IFS researchers will present findings on the effect of the rollout of the Education Maintenance Allowance in England.</p>
IFS residential conference 2025: How do we build a business tax system for the 21st century?
conference 3 April 2025
<p>This conference, in association with <a href="https://www.deloitte.co.uk">Deloitte</a>, will discuss the UK business tax system in the context of the new Corporate Tax Roadmap.</p>
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landing page
<p>At IFS, we recruit and train top-quality economists and professional support staff. We aim to foster a respectful and inclusive working environment.</p>
20 July 2022
Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy
The Research Centre at the heart of IFS is the CPP.
Help me find something

Laurence O'Brien

Research Economist

Laurence joined the IFS in 2020 as a Research Economist in the Retirement, Saving and Ageing sector. He currently works on projects related to pension savings over the lifecycle and the labour market activity of older workers. Prior to joining the IFS, he worked as a research professional at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Education

MPhil (Distinction) Economic Research, University of Cambridge, 2019

BA (1st Class Honours) Economics, University of Cambridge, 2018

Contact

Email: Email

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Laurence O'Brien: all content

Showing 1 – 20 of 48 results

Small pension pots: problems and potential policy responses

Report

What are the consequences of the proliferation of deferred small pension pots and what are the merits of different potential policy responses?

12 February 2025

Government action needed to stop and reverse the proliferation of millions of small pension pots

Press Release

Without policy action, many will end up with their savings scattered across several small private pension pots by the time they reach retirement.

12 February 2025

Employees of Pakistani or Bangladeshi ethnic origin almost twice as likely to opt out of workplace pensions as other employees

Press Release

Automatic enrolment into workplace pensions has substantially increased the share of employees saving in a workplace pension plan

23 January 2025

Ethnic differences in retirement wealth accumulation in the UK

Working Paper

What factors contribute to ethnic gaps in private pension participation rates, and how might these gaps impact future retirement incomes?

23 January 2025

Ethnic differences in private pension participation after automatic enrolment

Report

What are the drivers of ethnic gaps in private pension participation rates and what consequences will these gaps have for future retirement incomes?

23 January 2025

IFS Public Economics Lecture Day

Workshop 9 January 2025 at 09:30 Institute for Fiscal Studies

The IFS is holding a day of talks on issues in public economics of interest to undergraduates in economics and related disciplines.

Why does raising the early retirement age affect employment?

Working Paper

We study ten years of reforms in the United Kingdom which increased the ERA for women from 60 to 66.

6 January 2025

The effect of tax incentives on retirement saving

Working Paper

This paper estimates the responsiveness of retirement saving to tax incentives for employees in Great Britain.

15 October 2024

Reforms needed as millions of employees on track for inadequate retirement incomes

Press Release

Automatic enrolment has dramatically increased private sector employees’ participation in pension saving. But key challenges remain.

16 September 2024

Adequacy of future retirement incomes: new evidence for private sector employees

Report

We undertake new modelling to examine the adequacy of pension saving for current generations of private sector employees.

16 September 2024

Policies to improve employees’ retirement resources

Report

Discussion of how public policy should change to bring about better retirement outcomes for employees through their accumulation of private pensions

16 September 2024

Policy action needed to help millions of self-employed workers better prepare for their retirement

Press Release

How well prepared for retirement are self-employed workers and what options do policymakers have to encourage more pension saving?

9 September 2024

Private pensions for the self-employed: challenges and options for reform

Report

How well prepared for retirement are self-employed workers and what options do policymakers have to encourage more pension saving?

9 September 2024

Key decisions await the pensions minister after the election

Press Release

How will the next government change pensions policies? This report examines key decisions that need to be taken.

7 June 2024

Pensions: five key decisions for the next government

Report

How will the next government change pensions policies? This report examines key decisions that need to be taken.

7 June 2024

Gap between higher- and lower-paid public sector workers falls by more than a third since 2007 as doctors and experienced teachers have faced unprecedented pay cuts

Press Release

How has public sector pay changed in recent years? Which type of workers have done better and which have done worse?

26 March 2024

Recent trends in public sector pay

Report

How has public sector pay changed in recent years? Which type of workers have done better and which have done worse?

26 March 2024

Staff and students meeting in the office

IFS recruitment event 2023

Event 11 October 2023 at 17:00

At this event we offered an opportunity to meet current IFS staff, and ask questions about life at IFS and our recruitment process.

Major new pensions review warns of substantial risks to finances of future generations of pensioners

Press Release

A substantial new Pensions Review will determine what needs to be done to secure decent retirement outcomes for future generations of pensioners.

20 April 2023

Challenges for the UK pension system: the case for a pensions review

Report

This report makes the case that economic and policy changes in the last two decades necessitate a comprehensive review of the UK pension system.

20 April 2023

Laurence O'Brien

Research Economist

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Laurence O'Brien: all content

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Year

Showing 1 – 20 of 48 results

Small pension pots: problems and potential policy responses

Government action needed to stop and reverse the proliferation of millions of small pension pots

Employees of Pakistani or Bangladeshi ethnic origin almost twice as likely to opt out of workplace pensions as other employees

Ethnic differences in retirement wealth accumulation in the UK

Ethnic differences in private pension participation after automatic enrolment

IFS Public Economics Lecture Day

Why does raising the early retirement age affect employment?

The effect of tax incentives on retirement saving

Reforms needed as millions of employees on track for inadequate retirement incomes

Adequacy of future retirement incomes: new evidence for private sector employees

Policies to improve employees’ retirement resources

Policy action needed to help millions of self-employed workers better prepare for their retirement

Private pensions for the self-employed: challenges and options for reform

Key decisions await the pensions minister after the election

Pensions: five key decisions for the next government

Gap between higher- and lower-paid public sector workers falls by more than a third since 2007 as doctors and experienced teachers have faced unprecedented pay cuts

Recent trends in public sector pay

IFS recruitment event 2023

Major new pensions review warns of substantial risks to finances of future generations of pensioners

Challenges for the UK pension system: the case for a pensions review

Featured content

Additional resources

Laurence O'Brien: all content

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Content type

Year

Showing 1 – 20 of 48 results