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
Housing costs and income inequality in the UK Report This report sheds light on some of the drivers of changes in housing costs over time for different groups. 17 November 2023
Retirement is not always a choice that workers can afford to make Comment "More of us may feel little choice but to work a year or two longer than planned." Paul Johnson writes for The Times. 6 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
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
Exploiting discontinuities in secondary school attendance to evaluate value added Working Paper We use a new empirical strategy to test various measures of school effectiveness in England. 19 July 2023
Living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK: 2023 Event 13 July 2023 at 11:00 via Slido and Youtube This online event presented the key findings from our latest flagship annual report on living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK.
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 Presentation This online event presented the key findings from our latest flagship annual report on living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK. 13 July 2023
Earnings and income inequality in Scotland Presentation This presentation to the Royal Society of Edinburgh provides an early preview of upcoming work on labour market trends and inequalities in Scotland. 28 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
Government spending has long been targeted at the poorest in our society Comment Paul Johnson writes for The Times on how taking account of public service spending is critical to assessing the government's redistribution of wealth. 5 June 2023
Lots more people are working, but in jobs that keep them in poverty Comment "As well as a continuing focus on making sure people can get into work, we also need to look at the quality of work." Paul Johnson in the Times. 8 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
The policy menu for school lunches: options and trade-offs in expanding free school meals in England Report The expansion of free school meals has been frequently discussed. IFS researchers consider the costs and benefits of different options. 29 March 2023
Inequality fell in the first two years of the pandemic as middle- and high-income households became worse off Comment Declining real incomes for middle- and high-income households, together with a rise for poorer households, led to a reduction in income inequality. 23 March 2023
Public finances may be improving, but personal circumstances certainly are not Comment "Don’t be lulled into thinking we have reached the bottom of hole into which living standards have been sliding. We almost certainly haven’t." 27 February 2023
Private pensions explained Explainer We explain how private pensions work in the UK, how pension incomes have changed over time and what 'pension freedoms' mean for pension saving. 6 February 2023
Ratio of median pensioner income to median working-age income, and pensioner relative poverty rate, by year Data Item Ratio of median pensioner income to median working-age income, and pensioner relative poverty rate, by year 6 February 2023
Inequality and the benefits system Event 2 February 2023 at 11:00 At this online event, we presented and discussed findings from a major new work on benefits.