NEW #IFSWorkingPaper: Parents in the classroom: strengthening government capacity to deliver early childhood education 📗 Read Bet Caeyers, Lina Cardona Sosa, @Sarah_Cattan, Sonya Krutikova and @absidd.bsky.social's paper on the Lively Minds programme in Ghana here: ifs.org.uk/publications...

'Around 8% of kids are forecast to be on Education, Health and Care Plans by the end of the decade.' In our podcast, @ckfarquharson.bsky.social explains the special needs funding crisis and what it means for the decade ahead in our podcast. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/wha...

A very nice piece of analysis on an important but under-discussed policy shift: the government is re-aligning council funding with assessments of how much they "need", and is providing councils in more deprived areas with larger increases in funding. These choices really matter for local services.

NEW: Will planned reforms achieve ‘fair funding’ for English councils? 🧵 Kate Ogden and David Phillips explain how the reformed system will more closely align councils’ funding allocations with their spending needs, with some notable exceptions:

How might new weight‑loss drugs like Ozempic impact the labour market and pressures on public services? @ckfarquharson.bsky.social explores the links between health, obesity, affordability and people’s ability to participate in work in our podcast. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/wha...

NEW: The NHS is offering its support staff more career opportunities – but so far, mostly in wealthier areas. 📗 Olly Harvey-Rich, Elaine Kelly & Isabel Stockton’s new report examines the career pathways available to NHS support staff and how opportunities differ across England:

Are you undertaking a PhD and are interested working at IFS? Applications close this Friday at 11:59pm for our PhD Studentships and PhD Enrichment placements. Find out more about the schemes and apply here: ifs.org.uk/jobs

📢 Call for papers: 1st Annual CEP–IFS Labour Conference London | 15–16 June 2026 We invite labour economics papers on wages & inequality, firm wage-setting, monopsony, unions, worker mobility & place-based policies. Submit by 13 Feb 2026. 🔗 Details & submissions: ow.ly/yvGJ50XY3fK

'About 1 in 10 working age people now get a health-related benefit.' IFS Associate Director Tom Waters discusses the rise in disability benefit claims and why more working‑age and younger people are now receiving health‑related support in our podcast. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/wha...

How are rising employer NICs, higher minimum wages and upcoming employment rights changes affecting the labour market? IFS Associate Director Tom Waters sets out the possible trends for youth unemployment in 2026 in our podcast. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/wha...

'There are pretty big long‑term consequences for starting out your life in this kind of disengaged or detached group.' @ckfarquharson.bsky.social explains what NEETs are and why they are a group to worry about in our podcast on 2026's economic prospects. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/wha...

📊 #IFSSatStat: The 2025 Budget changed student loan terms affecting those who started courses between 2012 and 2022. A repayment threshold freeze will see many repay more each month. Over their lifetimes, those who started in 2022 can expect to pay £3,200 (6%) more on average.

EVENT: Does the UK fiscal framework need a rethink? Thurs 19 Feb | 3pm – 5pm @benzaranko.bsky.social presents a major new report on the UK fiscal framework, with panelists @chrisgiles.ft.com, Victoria Clarke, Rupert Harrison & @helenmiller.bsky.social. 📅 Sign up here ⬇️ ifs.org.uk/events/does-...

Great to make first appearance on IFS Zooms In Pod. @helenmiller.bsky.social and I were joined by the excellent @alanmanning4.bsky.social to talk about what's happened to to the UK minimum wage, and what impact its having on the UK labour market. Give it a listen.

NEW PODCAST: Is the minimum wage costing jobs? @helenmiller.bsky.social, @eduinlatimer.bsky.social and @alanmanning4.bsky.social discuss what we know and what we don't know about the UK minimum wage in our new podcast. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/min...

'The NHS is really the golden child of public spending' In our latest podcast, @maxwarner.bsky.social outlines how NHS spending has grown over time and the implications for allocating funding and service improvement. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/why...

Are you an outstanding communicator who knows loads about the UK public finances? Are you attracted by the prospect of a public voice, and the chance to work alongside brilliant economists at the country's finest think tank? We'd like to hear from you: app.beapplied.com/apply/4t6eys...

'Productivity is above target in terms of growth, but the waiting list is falling really quite slowly.' @maxwarner.bsky.social explains why increased NHS hospital activity hasn't translated into large falls in waiting lists in our latest podcast. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/why...

'Productivity being disappointing or spending coming in lower than planned will limit how much performance can improve over the rest of this Parliament.' In our latest podcast @maxwarner.bsky.social outlines the possible trajectories for NHS performance. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/why...

NEW: Scotland can have lower taxes if it chooses to – but that would require a reduction in the range and scope of public services and social security benefits for residents. Associate Director David Phillips analyses Reform UK’s proposal for income tax cuts in Scotland: ifs.org.uk/articles/ana...

"We are always pretty close to capacity. Most staff, most beds, most of everything is already being used" In our latest podcast, @maxwarner.bsky.social explains why winter is always tough for the NHS. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/why...

How has the NHS been faring so far this winter? Olly Harvey-Rich gives an overview of the state of the NHS in recent months in comparison to previous years in our latest podcast. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/why...

📊 #IFSSatStat: The shape of education spending has changed substantially over recent decades. Spending on the early years has increased particularly quickly, with spending per child (amongst 3- and 4-year olds) almost doubling in real-terms between 2010–11 and 2024–25.

We're recruiting for an exceptional economist to play a leading role in our analysis of fiscal policy in the UK. 📆 Find out more here and apply by 11:59pm, Wednesday 4 March 2026 app.beapplied.com/apply/4t6eys...

Revenues from March to December are over £3bn below that expected in March, and over £2bn below that forecast at the end of November - a sign that even when incorporating data from the summer, the OBR's forecast still looks optimistic. (3/4)

New ONS public finance figures for December show borrowing from April to December was below 2024, in line with forecasts. This is good news, but under the hood there's little sign of a pickup in revenues from inflation - an important thing to watch out for going forward. (1/4)

🚨Rare and exciting opportunity 🚨 We're looking to hire an exceptional economist to work on fiscal policy at the IFS. We don't do this often. It's a chance to shape, carry out and communicate research on some of the highest-profile topics in UK economic policy. [1/4]

🎙️"We now expect graduates who started courses in 2022 to repay £15,000 more on average than when they might have made the decision to go to university." IFS Senior Research Economist Kate Ogden explains how changes to student loans terms since 2022 are affecting graduates on BBCR4 Today:

🖥️ Mayor of Greater Manchester @andyburnham.bsky.social gave the keynote speech at our conference on how policy can tackle regional inequalities this week – watch back his speech on “Manchesterism” here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ2p...

NEW: Rapid rises in SEND and childcare spending are reshaping education spending in England. Our annual report on education spending in England, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org, launches today – here are some of our findings on the key challenges facing the education sector [THREAD]:

Here's a starter pack of IFS economists posting on BlueSky. Make sure you're following them all for the top-quality economic analysis on labour markets, inequality, public finances, healthcare, education and more! go.bsky.app/NYPwMB

Peter put together a starter pack of my colleagues at the IFS. Follow them for high-quality, policy-relevant analysis on tax and spending, efficiency and equity, firms and workers, healthcare and education and much more.

STARTING NOW: @andyburnham.bsky.social delivers the keynote speech at our policy conference on regional inequalities. 🖥️ Watch the livestream here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG9R...

A busy day tomorrow. Join us in the morning to discuss 'How can policy tackle regional inequalities?' with @andyburnham.bsky.social @xiaoweixu.bsky.social @theifs.bsky.social ifs.org.uk/events/how-c...

Our policy conference on regional inequalities kicks off this morning with a welcome from @helenmiller.bsky.social and presentations from Sonya Krutikova, @xiaoweixu.bsky.social, @peterlevell.bsky.social and Philip McCann. 🖥️ Watch the livestream here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG9R...

This Wednesday at 10:30am we launch our annual report on education spending in England, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org, with an online event on the major challenges facing the education system and allocating funding from the Spending Review. Sign up to join ⬇️ ifs.org.uk/events/shapi...

📈 #IFSSatStat: UK house price growth has been very unequal since the mid 1990s. In 2018, London house prices were fifteen times bigger than annual earnings, compared to six times bigger in the North East of England. In 1996, London and the North East had the same house price to earnings ratio.

NEW PODCAST: Why isn't the NHS improving faster? @helenmiller.bsky.social, @maxwarner.bsky.social and Olly Harvey-Rich examine the latest data on NHS performance, progress on waiting lists and the big challenges around staffing, winter and flu cases. 🎧 Listen here: ifs.org.uk/articles/why...

The 'despair' measure we use in the paper (GHQ-12 score of 23+) is noisier, but tells the same story. Hump shape in illbeing has been replaced by a declining age profile, and this isn't a Covid blip.

The latest USoc wave lets us split out the Covid years from what came after. So striking that they look the same! Average mental ill health (based on a general screening instrument) is no better now than during the lockdown years, at any age. @alexbryson.bsky.social @dannyblanchy.bsky.social

NEW: How can policy tackle regional inequalities? 🖥️ Sign up to join the livestream of our conference next Tuesday with @uclpolicylab.bsky.social, with new research on the scale and causes of regional inequalities and a keynote from @andyburnham.bsky.social ⬇️ ifs.org.uk/events/how-c...

My paper shows that youth migration has also increased in recent years, especially among graduates. Graduates move from places with weak labour markets to London and other high-paying cities, which exacerbates regional skills inequalities. Skilled labour, as well as capital, flows towards London.

The paper from Daams, Mayer and McCann @productivity.bsky.social shows that risk premiums on real estate investments outside London increased dramatically after the 2008 financial crisis, limiting access to credit in regional cities.

Excited about discussing regional inequalities at the Fiscal Studies symposium event next week! We've got a star-studded lineup of @andyburnham.bsky.social, Paul Collier, Philip McCann, @lindseymacmillan.bsky.social, @amcanning.bsky.social and more. Summary of new papers below 🧵👇

NEW: The disadvantages faced by left-behind places in the UK are interconnected and self-reinforcing: policy will need to tackle multiple, interlocking constraints at the same time. Sonya Krutikova and @xiaoweixu.bsky.social’s new briefing summarises new research on regional inequalities:

Next Wednesday we launch our annual report on education spending in England, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Sign up for our online event at 10:30am on the key funding challenges and risks for the different stages of education here ⬇️ ifs.org.uk/events/shapi...

NEW: Immediate response to the Scottish Budget 2026-27 and Spending Review. Read our response here: ifs.org.uk/articles/imm...

STARTING NOW: What happened to the children of the property boom? @peterlevell.bsky.social presents new research on how rising house prices have affected inequalities, funded by Homes England: 🖥️ Watch live here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y6e... ❓ Ask questions here: app.sli.do/event/tZxssp...

NEW: The surge in house prices from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s created significant and lasting inequalities not just between people at the time, but for their children as well. Our new Homes England-funded research measures the housing boom's impact on social mobility: [🧵]

📊#IFSSatStat: The UK has long had the second-highest level of defence spending in NATO, behind the US. But in 2024, the UK was overtaken by Germany and now has the third highest. 📗 Read our IFS Green Budget 2025 chapter on defence spending here: ifs.org.uk/publications...