Business and investment

This presentation was given by Rachel Griffith as the Royal Economic Society annual lecture on 24 November 2015.

The onset of the global financial crisis was quickly followed by a substantial increase in government borrowing in many European countries. To offset this, packages of tax rises and spending cuts were implemented in many countries. The approaches taken have shown similarities but also important differences – in terms of the reliance on tax rises versus spending cuts, which areas were cut, and the types of households affected. A new special edition of the journal Fiscal Studies, launched today at an event in Brussels, looks at the impact of the Great Recession on the public finances and the fiscal policy reforms implemented in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

This is the presentation that Helen Miller gave at the Understanding the Great Recession: from micro to macro conference held at the Bank of England on 23 and 24 September 2015.

This is the presentation that Richard Blundell gave at the Understanding the Great Recession: from micro to macro conference held at the Bank of England on 23 and 24 September 2015.

Paul Johnson considers the potential for changes to environmental taxes in the forthcoming budget in this piece, published in the Financial Times newspaper today.

Productivity is currently the most talked about topic in town, and for good reason. At the end of 2014 UK productivity remained below its pre-recession level and 16% below where it would have been had the pre-recession trend continued. Looking forward, it is only productivity growth that is likely to spur increases in real wage growth and living standards. Alongside the upcoming budget, George Osborne will set out a plan for how to boost productivity. This Observation aims to provide some context for current discussions by setting out what the most recent data shows about the trajectory of productivity across different sectors of the economy.

IFS Director Paul Johnson discusses growth, productivity and public policy in an article published in the Times newspaper today.

This presentation was given at the Australian Treasury in June 2014.