Research and analysis

Changing the measure of debt could free up billions for investment, but it’s not a risk-free move

The government is reportedly considering a change to the debt rule to allow for more borrowing for investment. We consider some of the options.

Over a fifth of government spending goes on pay. We examine recruitment and retention challenges which mean that pressures could mount going forward.

We use detailed data on price and spending patterns for groceries to assess the relative impacts of inflation across rich and poor households.

David Phillips gave this presentation on local government finances to Office for Local Government (OfLoG) staff in September 2024.

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

David Phillips gave this presentation on local government finances at a Pixel Financial Management conference in September 2024.