Why we need to reform inheritance tax podcastWe discuss the issues with inheritance tax and how to reform it.6 December 2023
The Autumn Statement 2023 explained in 90 seconds explainerPaul Johnson responds to Jeremy Hunt's 2023 Autumn Statement. 22 November 2023
Cake or biscuit? The UK's byzantine VAT system explained podcastThis week, we dive into the oddities of the VAT system.16 November 2023
Education spending: an engine for levelling-up? event 11 December 2023 The launch of the 2023 IFS Annual Report on Education Spending in England, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Social mobility and wealth conference 12 December 2023 At this in-person event, IFS researchers will share findings from ESRC-funded research on social mobility and its drivers.
Where next for the state pension? event 13 December 2023 At this online event, IFS researchers will present findings from a major new report on the future of the state pension in the UK.
Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy landing pageThe ESRC has funded a research centre at IFS since 1991, recognised as a global centre of excellence and now with UKRI Research Institute status.15 July 2022
Jobs landing pageAt IFS, we recruit and train top-quality economists and professional support staff. We aim to foster a respectful and inclusive working environment.20 July 2022
Autumn Statement 2023 response Comment Higher inflation has boosted tax revenues. Rather than compensate public services, or bank the spoils, the Chancellor decided to cut taxes. 22 November 2023
Cutting inheritance tax isn’t quite as simple as its proponents suggest Comment "There are dozens of tax cuts that would be some combination of more equitable and better designed to promote economic efficiency and growth." 20 November 2023
Using October rather than September inflation to uprate working-age benefits represents a £3 billion cut Comment Using October rather than September inflation to uprate benefits in April 2024 would be a permanent £3 billion cut to the size of the benefits system. 16 November 2023
The effects of reforms to the Work Capability Assessment for incapacity benefits Report We investigate the potential impacts of the government’s proposed reforms to the Work Capability Assessment. 26 October 2023
Is it time to reboot welfare economics? Overview Journal article The articles in this Fiscal Studies symposium engage with the question of how to revive normative questions as a central issue in economic scholarship 5 September 2023
IFS responds to changes to DWP work capability assessments Comment We respond to proposed changes by the government to reform the work capability assessment used to determine entitlement to incapacity benefits. 5 September 2023
Employment, earnings and incomes in Scotland Report How have employment, earnings and incomes performed in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK? What drives geographic inequalities within Scotland? 9 August 2023
When and why should we care about inequality? Podcast Why should we care about inequality? What has happened to inequality over recent decades? And can government do anything about it? 9 August 2023
An immediate response to the Scottish Fiscal Framework review Comment The revised Scottish Fiscal Framework will continue to redistribute income tax revenues from England and provides a little more financial flexibility. 2 August 2023
Twenty-five years of income inequality in Britain: The role of wages, household earnings and redistribution Journal article We study earnings and income inequality in Britain over the 25 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 19 July 2023
Poverty Report We investigate recent trends in poverty, and government policies aimed at alleviating it. 13 July 2023
Living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK: 2023 Report We investigate how living standards have changed for different groups in the UK, with a particular focus on the cost of living payments and housing. 13 July 2023
Recent changes to universal credit have much smaller effect on poverty than £20 uplift Comment Absolute poverty fell from 17.9% to 16.8% in the first year of the pandemic, due to rising benefit receipts. 9 July 2023
Living standards and inequality Report We examine recent trends in households’ living standards, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21 and 2021–22. 7 July 2023
The housing crisis for low-income private renters explained Explainer Tom Waters explains how the freezes in housing benefit are affecting low-income renters. 29 June 2023
Housing quality and affordability for lower-income households Report We examine patterns of housing tenure, quality and affordability for people on lower incomes. 27 June 2023
Don’t cheer end of earnings squeeze: there is more pain to come Comment Paul Johnson writes for The Times on the pain to come for households and the public finances. 19 June 2023
The distribution of public service spending Report This report for the IFS-Deaton Review looks at how public service spending is distributed across the population in the UK. 31 May 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
What impact did lowering the benefit cap have? Comment DWP study finds that lowering the benefit cap led to some moving into paid work, some moving onto an exempting disability benefit and some moving home 20 April 2023
