IFS Zooms In: The Economy

Social care reform has challenged successive governments for decades. Now, the government wants to create a national care service and has launched a new push to find a long-term solution. But how does social care...

Immigration is one of the most debated issues in British politics. But what impact does it actually have on the economy and the public finances? We speak to Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at...

Land value tax has long been popular with economists. Unlike most taxes, it doesn’t discourage people from working, investing or building - and in theory it can raise money without distorting economic decisions. So why...

Business rates have long been blamed for the decline of Britain’s high streets. Shops and pubs face large bills, while online retailers can operate from cheaper out-of-town warehouses. So surely cutting business rates...

More young people than ever are going to university, but the financial stakes have also risen. Many graduates begin their careers with around £50,000 of student debt and could make repayments for up to 40 years. While...

The government has launched a new Pensions Commission, raising the prospect of significant changes to how people save for retirement. Are people currently saving enough? Should minimum workplace pension contributions...

Andy Burnham is preparing to enter Downing Street, but he will inherit a government facing tight fiscal constraints and a series of difficult decisions. The public finances remain under pressure, debt interest spending...

Over the past few weeks, devolution has moved back to the centre of British politics. Andy Burnham has made the case for a “rewired Britain”: shifting power away from Westminster and Whitehall, creating a new “No 10...

What makes a job “good”? Is it pay, flexibility, progression, security, purpose, autonomy, or the people you work with? Policy debates about inequality often focus on wages and getting people into work. But jobs are...

The UK is one of the most geographically unequal countries in the developed world. People living in London and the South East tend to have higher incomes, higher levels of education and better health outcomes than...

Around 80% of people think the gap between those on high and low incomes is too big. But only around 40% think the government should redistribute income from the rich to the poor. Why is there such a gap between concern...

In the first episode of our new series, we set out the big picture on inequality in the UK. We look at what has happened to income and wealth inequality and how Britain compares with other countries. But inequality is...

Britain’s public finances are under pressure. Public debt is high, borrowing remains high, and the government is spending far more on debt interest than in the past. Taxes are heading towards historic highs, while...

Conflict in the Middle East has pushed up energy prices in the UK. Even if the war ends soon, prices may not return to pre-war levels, and government could still face pressure to support households. But the problem runs...

Local government affects almost every part of our daily lives: bins, roads, planning, housing, schools, social care, public health, libraries, parks and more. But despite this, local elections are often discussed mainly...