Why is the UK so geographically unequal? podcast<p>We ask why the UK has such large regional divides, how they emerged, and what policymakers can realistically do to fix them.</p>18 June 2026
What does Britain think about inequality? podcast<p class="p1">Why do people care about inequality, and what do they want government to do about it?</p>11 June 2026
How unequal is Britain? podcast<p class="p1">We set out the facts on UK inequality, from income and wealth to opportunity, health and place.</p>4 June 2026
Increasing pension contributions: what would higher employer minimums mean? event 21 July 2026 <p>Join us as IFS researchers present findings on employer pension contributions and explore how higher minimum rates could affect workers and employers.</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.
Life after divorce: effects of joint custody on parents and children Working Paper Divorce reshapes family life, yet little is known about one of its most consequential features: the allocation of child custody. 14 July 2026
The economic consequences of gender-based violence Comment We summarise recent work on the economic impacts of domestic abuse, sexual assault and workplace harassment. 27 March 2026
Intergenerational mobility in welfare: wages and amenities Working Paper We propose a novel measure of intergenerational welfare mobility, “value-value” slope, including both pecuniary and non-pecuniary value of a job. 21 January 2026
Intimate partner violence and children's human capital Working Paper We study how exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) affects young children’s accumulation of cognitive and socio-emotional skills. 6 November 2025
Parental leave and intimate partner violence Working Paper We examine the impact of a 2002 Danish parental leave reform on intimate partner violence (IPV) using data on assault-related hospital contacts. 9 October 2025
Changes in marital sorting: theory and evidence from the United States Journal article Journal of Political Economy We use our approach to show that marital sorting by education substantially changed between the 1950s and the 1970s cohorts. 29 September 2025
What is the effect of the two-child limit on children’s school readiness? Report Despite significantly reducing the benefit entitlements of larger families, the two-child limit had no effect on children’s school readiness 24 September 2025
Are the kids ok? Your questions answered Podcast We answer your questions on childcare, schools, apprenticeships and family life in this special Q+A with IFS experts and guests. 11 September 2025
Social defaults and plan choice: The case of spousal following Working Paper We study how couples in the Medicare Part D program choose an insurance plan. Over seventy percent of enrollees choose the same plan as their spouse. 7 August 2025
Intergenerational altruism and transfers of time and money: a life cycle perspective Working Paper We find that parental time investments increase children's human capital, but parents also enjoy time spent with children more than work. 1 July 2025
Popularity of new childcare entitlements could leave spending much higher than initially forecast Comment New childcare entitlements have proven popular – meaning spending from 2026 onwards could be £1 billion higher than originally forecast. 12 June 2025
Who gives and receives substantial inter vivos financial transfers in Britain? Journal article We document new stylised facts about substantial gifts and loans made in Great Britain. 1 June 2025
The short- and medium-term effects of Sure Start on children’s outcomes Report An evaluation of Sure Start’s impacts on education, health, absences, special educational needs, crime and social care, plus a cost–benefit analysis. 22 May 2025
Housing wealth, marital stability and labor supply: an intertemporal analysis Working Paper We study how house price shocks affect marital stability and household labor supply. 28 March 2025
Hotel of Mum and Dad? Co-residence with parents among those aged 25–34 Report We study young adults who live with parents, considering how the share living with parents varies across groups, and how this can relate to saving. 11 January 2025
Childcare funding rates largely protected in real terms - with a big uplift for disadvantage premium Comment 2025/26 childcare funding rates offer real-terms protection for the early years budget, with a boost to the funding top-up for disadvantaged children 11 December 2024
The effect of Sure Start on youth misbehaviour, crime and contacts with children’s social care Report This report studies the impact of Sure Start, which supported families of under-5s, on children’s behaviour, youth offending and social care contacts. 23 October 2024
Seclusion and women's time: Descriptive evidence from India Working Paper We use rich time-use data on where, and how, individuals spend their time to explore women’s seclusion in India. 17 September 2024
Free childcare for the under-2s will mean big savings for some parents – but wider impacts are anyone’s guess Comment How might new childcare entitlements for under-2s affect families? Who uses formal childcare already? And will the new entitlements be deliverable? 2 September 2024
Family and career: an analysis across Europe and North America Journal article Fiscal Studies Across 17 countries in Europe and North America, we compare the career trajectories of families and individuals across cohorts. 9 July 2024
