Why is the government reforming health-related benefits? podcast<p>We discuss the government's welfare reforms aimed at helping sick and disabled people into work, and what the changes mean for health-related benefits</p>14 May 2025
What's the future of corporation tax? podcast<p><span style="color:black;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;">Corporation tax was introduced 60 years ago. Despite many predictions of its decline, it is now forecast to raise record amounts. </span></p>10 April 2025
Spring Statement 2025: IFS Zooms In podcast<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(13, 13, 13);counter-reset:list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0;cursor:text;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"> What were the decisions and trade-offs made by Chancellor Reeves?</p>27 March 2025
IFS Annual Lecture: Trade Wars and the Future of Globalisation conference 20 May 2025 <p>Professor Meredith Crowley will deliver the 2025 <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(37, 61, 64);display:inline !important;float:none;font-family:"DM Serif Text", serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">IFS Annual Lecture. </span></p>
From Sure Start to Family Hubs: how can evidence best inform policymaking for joined up family support in the early years? conference 22 May 2025 <p>This event will explore the evidence and policy landscape around early years family support. It will also mark the launch of a new report from IFS.</p>
A look ahead to the 2025 Spending Review event 2 June 2025 <p><span data-teams="true">At this online event, researchers will present what the key choices will be at the Spending Review.</span></p>
Jobs 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.
Longer NHS waiting lists do not appear to be a significant driver of rising health-related benefit claims Press ReleaseHave increases in NHS waiting lists and waiting times contributed to the growing number of people claiming working-age health-related benefits? 2 May 2025
Londoners may have the highest average incomes, but their spending (excluding housing costs) is lower than other regions Press ReleaseNew research calculates measures of average household consumption for every local authority in Great Britain.11 April 2025
Call for papers: 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference AnnouncementWe are pleased to announce the 7th World Bank/ODI Global/IFS Public Finance Conference, taking place in London, UK, on September 25-26, 2025. 2 April 2025
Reforms needed to help individuals make good use of their pension wealth throughout their retirement Press ReleasePrivate sector employees are increasingly accumulating retirement savings in ‘defined contribution’ (DC) pensions.1 April 2025
Flawed revision wipes £2 trillion off estimates of household wealth Press ReleaseOur new report finds that a major recent revision by the ONS to official estimates of household wealth is fundamentally flawed. 21 March 2025
Increasing hospital activity alone highly unlikely to be enough to meet NHS 18-week target Press ReleaseThe government will more likely than not miss this NHS 18-week waiting time target. 20 March 2025
Helen Miller appointed as new Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies AnnouncementThe Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is delighted to announce that Helen Miller has been appointed as its next Director.20 March 2025
Economic and Social Research Council awards over £10 million for Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at the Institute for Fiscal Studies AnnouncementThe UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has renewed its support for the Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy (CPP).18 March 2025
Various indicators point to a deterioration in population mental health – likely contributing to rising disability benefit caseloads Press ReleaseMental health has worsened since the pandemic. This is consistent with rising disability benefit claims for mental health. 12 March 2025
Spring Forecast shaping up to be more consequential than first billed Press ReleaseOne key question is whether those forecasts put the Chancellor on track to miss her fiscal rules. This is by no means guaranteed.6 March 2025
Latin American and Caribbean Inequality Review (LACIR) supplement launches in Oxford Open Economics AnnouncementThe supplement contains a set of 27 papers and an editorial summary on five key themes of inequality, from 74 authors from wide range of disciplines.3 March 2025
The Education Maintenance Allowance did not improve attainment or earnings for disadvantaged young people in England Press ReleaseThe Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) failed to achieve its ultimate aims of improving educational attainment and labour market outcomes.26 February 2025
After a bumper top-up this year, current plans imply a real-terms freeze in day-to-day Scottish health and social care spending in 2025–26 Press ReleaseAfter £1.5 billion of in-year top-ups in 2024-25, the plans for day-to-day health and social care spending in 2025-26 represent a real-terms freeze.20 February 2025
Public sector pay up by 5% in Scotland since 2019, in contrast to no UK-wide increase Press ReleaseAs a result, public sector workers in Scotland now enjoy a considerable pay premium relative to their counterparts in the rest of the UK.18 February 2025
Scottish Government and Scottish councils need a long-term plan for a schools system set to lose 90,000 pupils Press ReleaseBy 2040, the number of pupils in Scotland is projected to be 90,000 lower than in 2024. Policymakers face a major choice over how to respond.14 February 2025
Government action needed to stop and reverse the proliferation of millions of small pension pots Press ReleaseWithout 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
Scottish Government should grasp the nettle of council tax reform Press ReleaseBroader reform alongside a council tax revaluation could improve the fairness and efficiency of the Scottish tax system.12 February 2025
Despite recent increases, the Ministry of Justice budget has still not returned to pre-2010 levels Press ReleaseNew research presents the first consistent estimates of what has happened to Ministry of Justice funding over a period of more than 20 years. 11 February 2025
Increase in Scotland’s land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) inconsistent with any sensible tax strategy Press ReleaseDespite the publication of a Tax Strategy alongside the Scottish Budget, it is not yet clear what the Scottish Government’s vision for tax policy is.6 February 2025
Urgent need to learn lessons from expensive energy support packages: better design could have saved £4.5 billion Press ReleaseEnergy support packages significantly alleviated household losses, but they were poorly targeted and encouraged overuse of energy. 31 January 2025