Best Institute for Fiscal Studies Podcasts (2025)

1
Richard Meddings 41:00

3h ago41:00

41:00

The Convert What happens when a leading banker groomed in the disciplines and attitudes of the private sector finds himself in charge of the NHS in England? Surely he will be highly sceptical at least, suspicious and critical at best? But no - the story of Richard Meddings the outgoing NHS England Chair is of a Damascene conversion. In this podcast…

1
What's the future of corporation tax? 45:17

14d ago45:17

45:17

This week, we’re looking at corporation tax, which was introduced 60 years ago. Across the decades there have been no shortage of predictions that corporate tax revenues will decline, and yet the tax is forecast to raise record amounts in the coming years. To pick all of this apart, and to see how Donald Trump and tariffs play into the story, IFS D…

1
Spring Statement 2025 37:10

1M ago37:10

37:10

This week, we look at the Spring Statement. What were the decisions and trade-offs made by Chancellor Reeves? To pick this apart, IFS Director Paul Johnson is joined by IFS Associate Directors Ben Zaranko and Tom Waters. Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/p…

1
Paul Johnson. Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies 34:47

1M ago34:47

34:47

Unmasking Healthcare Funding In this episode Roy and Niall are joined by Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. They uncover the truth behind political claims about healthcare funding and discuss the real challenges ahead for patients and staff.By IHSCM

1
The Schools Bill 46:36

2M ago46:36

46:36

This week, we’re looking at The Schools Bill. The bill, which has the full title of The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024-25, covers children’s social care and education. The aim of the bill, as stated on the House of Commons Library website, is to “improve the safeguarding of children and to raise educational standards”. We’re going to be…

1
Family values: inheritance, inequality and social mobility 49:48

2M ago49:48

49:48

As baby boomers hold an increasing share of wealth, younger generations are finding it harder to build financial security, often relying on family support for major milestones like homeownership. In her book Inheritocracy, Eliza Filby argues that – because of this – baby boomers have been good parents but not always great citizens. To explore the i…

1
How important is the OBR forecast? 55:00

2M ago55:00

55:00

As the OBR comes up with its forecast, which will underpin the Chancellor’s decisions at the Spring Forecast, one of the concerns may be that it tells her that she is not meeting her fiscal targets. That will require some action. Helping Paul explore this are Andy King and Gerard Lyons. Andy previously worked at the OBR and is now a Specialist Part…

1
Do tariffs work? 37:52

3M ago37:52

37:52

This week, President Trump was inaugurated for his second term and announced plans to impose significant tariffs on imports. But what exactly are tariffs, and how do they work? In this episode, we dive into the economic consequences of tariffs, why governments use them, and whether they actually achieve their intended goals. Joining Paul to unpack …

1
How is tax damaging the housing market? 37:47

4M ago37:47

37:47

The UK’s housing market has long been a source of frustration for renters and homeowners alike, with issues of affordability and availability topping the agenda. The new government has identified housing market failures as a major barrier to economic growth—but what role does the tax system play in these challenges? In this episode, we’ll dig into …

1
Why did the French budget fail to pass? 39:57

5M ago39:57

39:57

Today, we’re turning our attention to France, where a recent Budget has sparked intense debate and raised major questions about the country’s economic future. France is tackling some big economic challenges: rising public debt, slow growth, and the need for major reforms in areas like pensions and energy. In this episode, we’ll explore what was in …

1
How can we make government more productive? 43:40

5M ago43:40

43:40

From healthcare to education to local government, the public sector delivers essential services—but how can it stay effective and efficient with tightening budgets and rising demand? In this episode, we examine the UK government’s push to improve public sector productivity. Rachel Reeves is enlisting private sector leaders to tackle inefficiencies …

1
Inheritance tax rises and the Budget: who's affected? 46:59

5M ago46:59

46:59

In the recent budget, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced a £40 billion tax increase, pushing tax as a share of national income to an all time UK high. Just 6% of that came from an increase in inheritance tax, and just a small fraction of that will come from farmers. And yet it is the tax increase on farmers that has dominated the news headlin…

1
How big are the UK's demographic challenges? 48:03

6M ago48:03

48:03

At the end of October, the ONS announced that the fertility rate in England and Wales had fallen to 1.44 births per woman in 2023 - the lowest figure since records began in 1938. What will this mean for the population make-up of the country? What other big demographic shifts are occurring? Why is this trend occurring across the developed world? And…

1
What does the Budget mean for the UK? 41:12

6M ago41:12

41:12

117 days after Labour took office, Rachel Reeves has finally delivered her Budget. From tax rises and fiscal rules, to public services and investment, we'll take a tour around all of the big announcements. Paul is joined by Helen Miller and Ben Zaranko, colleagues at the IFS. Find out more: https://www.ifs.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…

1
LIVE: How can Rachel Reeves make her first Budget a success? 50:05

6M ago50:05

50:05

In our first ever live episode, we're going to look at how Rachel Reeves can make her first Budget a success. It will have been 117 days since Labour took power before we finally hear what is in the Budget - in that time we’ve heard about £22bn 'black holes' and the difficult economic situation the UK faces. We’re going to think a bit about some of…

1
What options does Rachel Reeves have for the Budget? 35:47

6M ago35:47

35:47

Sign up to our live event: https://ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-how-make-your-first-budget-success The budget coming up in a few weeks will be one of the big moments for Labour to set out their policy agenda. Over the summer, the government set out what it considers a difficult public finance picture - including a supposed £22bn ‘black hole’. T…

1
Should the Chancellor raise capital gains tax? 41:38

7M ago41:38

41:38

Sign up to our live event: https://ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-how-make-your-first-budget-success There’s been lots of speculation that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking to raise Capital Gains tax in her upcoming budget. Capital Gains tax raises around £15 billion a year, which is less than 2% of total tax revenue, and it’s paid by less than…

1
How can government reduce child poverty? 33:42

7M ago33:42

33:42

Sign up to our live event: https://ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-how-make-your-first-budget-success Currently, around 4.3 million children - that’s around 30% of all kids - are living in relative poverty. Since 2010 that figure has risen by over 700,000 and the new government has made tackling child poverty one of its key policy objectives, with…

1
Are people saving enough into their pensions? 39:28

7M ago39:28

39:28

Sign up for our live podcast event: https://ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-how-make-your-first-budget-success Since the introduction of auto-enrolment over 10 years ago, more people than ever are saving into a workplace pension than ever before. However, new research from the IFS shows that approximately 30% to 40% of private sector employees (5 …

1
The big challenges facing the benefits system 43:04

8M ago43:04

43:04

We’re looking at the benefits system and answering the questions likely being asked by government ministers: how can the rising costs of benefits be managed, and what changes could improve the system? With disability and incapacity benefit caseloads rising and the Universal Credit rollout still ongoing, what options does the government have to addr…

1
How could the Chancellor raise more tax? 42:40

8M ago42:40

42:40

Over the summer we’re bringing you a series of briefings on the key challenges and policy options facing the new set of government ministers. Today we’re turning to the tax system and we’ll answer the questions that the Chancellor has almost certainly been asking Treasury officials in recent weeks: how could more tax revenue be raised and how could…

1
Why are universities in financial trouble? 41:46

8M ago41:46

41:46

Over the coming weeks, we’re bringing you a series of briefings looking at key areas of government and analysing their performance over recent years, the challenges they face and the solutions the new government may look to help them. This week, we’ll be looking at higher and further education. Over recent months, we’ve heard lots of stories about …

1
Can the new government fix the NHS? 41:45

9M ago41:45

41:45

Over the next few weeks, we’re bringing you a series of briefings looking at key areas of government and analysing how they have performed over recent years, what challenges they face and which solutions are on the table. This week we'll start with the NHS - the UK's biggest public service. We're joined by Ben Zaranko and Max Warner, IFS experts, t…

1
Is Labour's inheritance really worse than expected? 37:06

9M ago37:06

37:06

On Monday, the new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, stood up in front of Parliament and spoke about, what was in her view, the challenging economic inheritance left to Labour by the previous Conservative government. She revealed a series of unfunded commitments by the previous government - a multibillion-pound gap in the public finances covering areas su…

1
What is Labour's economic strategy? 39:45

9M ago39:45

39:45

In the King's Speech last week, Labour announced 40 new bills covering areas from planning and green energy, to fiscal locks and a national wealth fund. What can these bills tell us about Labour's economic strategy? We speak with IFS economists, Christine Farquharson and Ben Zaranko. Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership Find ou…

1
ELECTION SPECIAL: Your questions answered 40:22

10M ago40:22

40:22

In the final run up to the election, we answer your questions about everything from borrowing to growth and from AI to the part that luck plays in the economy. Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Institute For Fiscal Studies Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
IFS Zooms In: The Economy

Institute for Fiscal Studies

1
In The Loop: the BIG Questions

IHSCM

1
Richard Meddings 41:00

1
What's the future of corporation tax? 45:17

1
Spring Statement 2025 37:10

1
Paul Johnson. Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies 34:47

1
The Schools Bill 46:36

1
Family values: inheritance, inequality and social mobility 49:48

1
How important is the OBR forecast? 55:00

1
Do tariffs work? 37:52

1
How is tax damaging the housing market? 37:47

1
Why did the French budget fail to pass? 39:57

1
How can we make government more productive? 43:40

1
Inheritance tax rises and the Budget: who's affected? 46:59

1
How big are the UK's demographic challenges? 48:03

1
What does the Budget mean for the UK? 41:12

1
LIVE: How can Rachel Reeves make her first Budget a success? 50:05

1
What options does Rachel Reeves have for the Budget? 35:47

1
Should the Chancellor raise capital gains tax? 41:38

1
How can government reduce child poverty? 33:42

1
Are people saving enough into their pensions? 39:28

1
The big challenges facing the benefits system 43:04

1
How could the Chancellor raise more tax? 42:40

1
Why are universities in financial trouble? 41:46

1
Can the new government fix the NHS? 41:45

1
Is Labour's inheritance really worse than expected? 37:06

1
What is Labour's economic strategy? 39:45

1
ELECTION SPECIAL: Your questions answered 40:22