ESRC Institute for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy

The core aims and objectives of the ESRC Institute at IFS are to conduct internationally leading research in microeconomic policy analysis; to use the rigorous insights generated to impact public policy in the UK and internationally; to inform and improve the quality of public debate; and to upskill a new generation of research economists in such work. To consolidate our position as a leading national resource, we will continue to innovate in each dimension - expanding our research agenda into new areas of pressing importance; deepening and widening stakeholder connections to ensure our research has policy impact; developing new data and methods and making these available to the research community; expanding international collaborations with governments, NGOs and like-minded research organisations; and building additional training for early-career researchers.

Our research agenda will address enduring and complex challenges of key strategic importance to the economy, organised into five themes: (i) human capital:? schools and pre-schools, training, further and higher education, the link between education, work and crime, and the role of families and caregiving; (ii) labour markets: encompassing the returns to education and skills, skills mismatch, career progression within and across firms, and drivers of the productivity stagnation; (iii) tax and benefits: research on low-income households, the design of tax and welfare systems, and the role of the tax system for redistribution, entrepreneurship, investment and innovation; (iv) consumption, wealth and health:? spending patterns, consumption and the ability to insure risks, retirement savings, pensions, housing, wealth accumulation, causes and consequences of poor health, nutrition and the environment; (v) public finances:?including public spending and its distributional effects, organisation and productivity of the public sector workforce, the design of health and justice systems and their links to economic...