The Scottish budget isn't under pressure due to excessive generosity in benefits. Scotland's population continues to get older, and that's an issue we can't hide away from. Was on BBC Radio Scotland speaking about this a couple of weeks ago.

After a lethargic campaign, a new @ipprscotland.bsky.social blog from @davehawkey.bsky.social reflects on the outcome and pre-election polling showing Scottish voters prefer a government reflecting their values over one focused on resolving issues in day-to-day life. www.ippr.org/articles/con...

Balancing tax and spending over the seventh Parliament is going to be a difficult job. When we debate the impact of tax levels we need to keep a clear eye on how the need for public services is changing. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

"There is a 'dispiriting retreat from the consensus across '21 manifestos that Scotland should play an ambitious role in the global fight against climate change'." @davehawkey.bsky.social quoted extensively in @vickyallan.bsky.social's sobering article⤵️ www.heraldscotland.com/news/2607071...

With the Holyrood election less than a week away, @stephenboydippr.bsky.social writes for @prospectmagazine.co.uk on how Scotland's parties have failed to confront the scale of the challenge that awaits them in the next parliament. Read here ⬇️ www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/sco...

Manifestos are never perfect, but the 2026 Holyrood editions leave big holes where clear policy agendas are needed - on climate, on inequality. Pinning so much hope on growth without a clear story as to why it has been so disappointing since the financial crisis is a very risky strategy.

All 6 of the major parties have released their manifestos for the Holyrood election - but do they meet @ipprscotland.bsky.social's tests for what makes a good manifesto? In short - they all must try harder. Today's blog gets into the details www.ippr.org/articles/mus...

With the starting gun fired on the 2026 Holyrood election, the public deserve an honest conversation about governing Scotland. Party manifestos will be soon be released - which begs the question: What makes a good Holyrood election manifesto in 2026? Here are 5 tests: www.ippr.org/articles/wha...

The headline child poverty rate (21% average across financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25) does not bode well for Scottish government to hit its 2030 target (10%). But with changes to the methodology behind the stats there is noise in the data that we should avoid over-interpreting.

With Scotland going into a major election, parties pledging to tackle child poverty must be clear that the issue is a structural feature of an unequal society. We respond to today's child poverty stats⤵️ www.ippr.org/media-office...

New child poverty stats are due tomorrow, but Scotland is already projected to miss its 2030 target by a wide margin. In this blog, @davehawkey.bsky.social looks at why progress has stalled and why reducing child poverty requires a more equal distribution of income⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/wha...

For months, we have been digging into a big myth — that strong social protection holds back economic growth.🔍 Spoiler: it doesn’t.💪 We launch our findings tomorrow in our report 'More than a Safety Net'. Stay tuned.🚀 For now, hear it from @stephenboydippr.bsky.social ⤵️

📢 Starting today, we will publish a series of blogs as part of our project on Employment, Productivity and Reform in the Scottish Public Sector. First up, this blog by @davehawkey.bsky.social looking at teacher pay per pupil in Scotland in an international context. ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/app...

Our response to the Budget made the airwaves📻 @bbc5live.bsky.social led with our take on the Budget as “tepid” in conversation with Scotland’s Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee. 🎧👇

Scotland’s Budget raises ambition — but ducks the hard fiscal choices⚠️ 👶Eradicating child poverty isn’t cheap. 🌡️Climate action needs additional spend. 🏫Public services can’t improve on real-terms cuts. Read more in @stephenboydippr.bsky.social's blog here ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/pol...

Some early thoughts on the Scottish budget: Yet again, short-term politically driven tax changes with minimal real impact are prioritised over the development of a serious, long-term strategy to achieve the revenues necessary to deliver on the FM’s 4 key priorities. This can’t go on. 1/

Scottish government prevarication on heat in buildings continues. In 2020 SG committed £1.6bn over this parliament, later raised to £1.8bn. Today's spending review commits £1.3bn to 2030. This is a cut to a budget that was already below the level it needs to reach.

No, welfare spending is not 'out of control'. (There is an underlying rise in health-related benfits, but this needs sensible reform - not knee jerk cuts.)

When I was a kid, Nabil used to tell me and my sibs the wildest sci fi stories that he improvised with us as main characters. Absolutely the best. One of the coolest most inspiring people I’ve had the good fortune to meet. Rest in peace. www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/o...

After months of planning and plotting, safe to say our conference yesterday was a success. A big thank you to everyone present. Some highlights⤵️ @johnswinney.bsky.social @anassarwar.bsky.social @stephenboydippr.bsky.social @davehawkey.bsky.social @caseysmithippr.bsky.social @sukhadatatke.bsky.social

🚸Too many children are missing out on the child maintenance support they deserve. It’s time for change! We @ipprscotland.bsky.social alongside @opfs.org.uk , @fifegingerbread.bsky.social are calling for a fairer, safer system. 📄 opfs.org.uk/betterforeve... #TransformingChildMaintenance

Good discussion on tackling child poverty today on an SNP conf panel with @sa4dunfermline.bsky.social, Mary Glasgow and the parent from Changing Realities (sorry I misplaced your name!). Thanks @cpagscotland.bsky.social for organising and John Dickie for chairing.

📢 We are in Aberdeen this weekend at the SNP conference, hosting three fringe events. A conference pass is required to attend the events. Hope to see you there. Details below ⤵️

"The forthcoming climate plan must be built on sound financial and democratic pillars. That means a clear role for taxes, so we share transition costs fairly rather than leaving individuals to do it alone." - @davehawkey.bsky.social responds to today's climate targets www.ippr.org/media-office...

Equalising capital gains with income tax is fair, sensible, & could raise £14bn a year. It was famously 'pro-growth' Tory chancellor Nigel Lawson who equalised CGT with IT in the first place - and our analysis shows millionaires wouldn’t flee. inews.co.uk/news/politic...

🎯The broad settlement for Scotland in today's Spending Review is welcome but not enough to meet its fiscal challenges. 👀All eyes should now be on the upcoming industrial strategy. @stephenboydippr.bsky.social reacts ⤵️ Full statement on our website: www.ippr.org/media-office...

Today’s emission figures are disappointing but hardly surprising. Stalled progress on climate is rooted in inadequate political leadership. www.gov.scot/news/scottis...

🌡️Stalled progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions raises urgent questions about how Scotland meets its targets for net zero. 🎯Action is needed now, and the upcoming Climate Change Plan will be the litmus test for meeting the moment.

🗳️Voters in Hamilton have shown they want to a fairer, greener future, but can Scottish politicians afford to be complacent? Certainly not. ✅2026 cannot be a contest mired in negativity but a battle for the high ground. @stephenboydippr.bsky.social

This is a wildly misleading headline on @hannahmargbrown.bsky.social story today "Immigration ranked as top concern for Scots, new report reveals" www.heraldscotland.com/news/2519162...

⚠️The CCC published expert advice on how the Scottish government can tackle the climate crisis. 📺 @davehawkey.bsky.social spoke to @laurapiper.bsky.social of STV to elucidate further: "What we need now is a policy package that can step up to deliver [the simple things recommended by the CCC]."

⚠️It is time to focus on adopting “climate missions”: coherent plans to coordinate change that everyone eventually will be a part of. We respond to the Climate Change Committee's advice published today⤵️ @davehawkey.bsky.social

Thanks @prospectmagazine.co.uk @aloner.bsky.social who let me write about Tony Blair's recent tribute act to the TB-GBs of New Labour, with some more serious consideration of where his NZ antipathy comes and the new politics if climate mini 🧵 www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/698...

🚗 | NEW REPORT: Around 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK are at risk if Trump announces new tariffs today. But as one door closes another one opens. There is huge untapped potential in building & selling green planes, trains and automobiles. Read here: www.ippr.org/articles/pla...

"The political debate is lopsided, focusing on electricity while ignoring our dependence on gas for heating. This is an amazing omission given gas makes up half of a typical Scottish energy bill." @davehawkey.bsky.social tells @alexofbrown.bsky.social @scotsman.com www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

No child deserves to live in poverty, yet today's figures highlight the work still to be done to eradicate child poverty. Tweaking the system isn’t enough - ending child poverty requires a clearer debate about our shared prosperity and how costs are distributed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🚨 New child poverty figures out today paint a stark picture - 22% of children in Scotland are trapped in poverty ➡️ While lower than the UK’s 31% rate, this still falls short of the 18% interim target. Urgent action is needed Our response ⤵️ www.ippr.org/media-office...

IPPR Scotland response: The government should think very carefully about how these costs are shared across society. Benefits and services can’t always be expected to take the strain. It is only fair and reasonable for taxation to play a much more prominent role. www.ippr.org/media-office...

Child poverty isn’t inevitable. We can turn the tide and give every child in Scotland the chance to thrive 👩‍👦 Social security is key. When wages work together with strong social security, the impact is powerful. Senior Research Fellow @davehawkey.bsky.social explains 👇

Today @ipprscotland.bsky.social publishes new analysis showing that by 2030 child poverty in Scotland will be: - well below the rest of the UK due to devolved policies - more than twice as high as the Scottish Government's current target @davehawkey.bsky.social www.ippr.org/articles/ach...

In light of the Scottish government's decision to scrap the heat in buildings bill altogether, do read @davehawkey.bsky.social's extremely pertinent paper on how the cost of retrofit should be covered fairly⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/no-...

The Scottish government's decision to scrap the heat in buildings bill is the wrong one. The government should instead adopt better and more equitable solutions available to them. Read @davehawkey.bsky.social's response in full here⤵️

Welfare changes could deliver real savings over time, but a ‘cuts first’ approach is likely to undermine efforts to reform the system and worsen child poverty. 💻 Read Avnee's full reaction to today's rumoured welfare cuts here: www.ippr.org/media-office...

Fiona Collie from the Carers Scotland team was interviewed today on Good Morning Scotland and spoke about how a minimum income guarantee could improve the lives of carers. Catch up with the piece here (segment starts at 11:24): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Climate Horizon conference -- can AI help tackle fuel poverty through the transition? Perhaps some AI can make cost and energy efficiencies. But its a steep hill to climb for that to convincingly deal with the twin facts of persistent inequality and the investment cost of the heat transition.

I’m going to “Climate Horizons 2040” conference at Edinburgh University today in the roll of “keynote listener”(?!). The state of the climate and of our efforts to protect it have never seemed so bleak. We need an almighty gear shift if we’re going to stop the harms getting even worse.

New year, new you? We're currently recruiting for two new roles! - Digital and Media Officer - Researcher (international policy) Find out how to apply here 👇

📻Different parts of policy and regulation across devolved and reserved powers should work together as a well-oiled machine in the development of wind projects. @davehawkey.bsky.social speaks on BBC Radio Scotland about his brand new report with @joshemden.bsky.social #RenewableEnergy #CleanEnergy

Got a comment piece in the Herald's Business HQ supplement today. Will post link when it goes online

The good news is: for full time employees the gender pay gap in Scotland is almost zero. But for all employees the gap is still 9.2%. The difference is the jobs work men and women do (part time vs full time), with roots in the gender imbalance in childcare. spice-spotlight.scot/earnings-in-...