Laurence O'Brien

Can the UK pensions system deliver a decent standard of living in retirement? We explore the challenges and changes needed.

We discuss pensions saving rates of the self-employed and what government can do to encourage more saving.

The proposals put forward maintain an important balance between the state, employers and workers.

How does automatic enrolment work and how could government improve the system?

At this event researchers presented the final recommendations of the Pensions Review.

We provide concrete recommendations to improve the UK pension system to secure better standards of living for future pensioners.

This report analyses the Scottish Government’s Budget for 2025–26, with chapters on tax strategy, school spending, public sector pay and more.

As a result, public sector workers in Scotland now enjoy a considerable pay premium relative to their counterparts in the rest of the UK.

How have public sector pay and employment changed in Scotland in recent years and what are the implications of those changes?

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

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

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

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

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

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