Poverty

This presentation was given at the launch of the Insititute and Faculty of Actuaries' 'Intergenerational Fairness Bulletin - Retirement'

This presentation was given as a keynote presentation chief economists at the Bank of England on 19 May 2017.

The Labour party has promised to introduce free school meals for all primary school children, claiming that universal free lunches would remove stigma and ‘benefit the educational attainment and health of all children’. Previous IFS research concludes that providing school meals free of cost to all primary students can boost attainment by the equivalent of two months’ progress over two years, a meaningful effect. However, the costs of this policy are substantial – around £950 million a year – and the benefits from extending it nationwide might be smaller than found in the pilot study. In the context of constrained public spending and alternative programmes such as breakfast clubs that deliver similar gains at much lower cost, policymakers should think carefully about whether this is the best use of resources.

This article on the BBC website looks at social mobility and how it compares now to previous generations.

IFS Director Paul Johnson writes in The Times.

This presentation was given at a briefing following the March Budget 2017.

This article appeared in the Times and is reproduced with permission.

New IFS research finds that providing school breakfasts free to all children in disadvantaged English primary schools helps pupils to make two months’ additional progress over the course of a year. These gains seem to be driven by better behaviour and concentration in the classroom, meaning that even students who don’t eat breakfast at school can benefit from the improved learning environment. These benefits come at a low cost relative to other programmes with a similar impact on attainment.

This presentation was delivered at the Low Pay Commission Information Retreat in London on 5th October 2016.

This presentation was delivered to officials from the Government Equalities Office in London on 21st September 2016.

This presentation was delivered at a Treasury / HMRC tax policy school in London on 21st September 2016