Peter Levell

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...

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

How can policy tackle regional inequalities? | Institute for Fiscal Studies At this policy conference, researchers will present new evidence on the scale and causes of regional inequalities.

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 🧵👇

What happened to the children of the property boom? | Institute for Fiscal Studies At this online event, IFS researchers will discuss how rising house prices shaped young people’s social mobility.

How have rising house prices in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s affected young people's social mobility?

Sign up for our event with @helenmiller.bsky.social and @peterlevell.bsky.social at 10am on Monday on new research on how rising house prices affected inequalities ⬇️ ifs.org.uk/events/what-...

Absolutely delighted our research has won the ONS' Research Excellence prize for impact!

I always say to people that the ideal @theifs.bsky.social work is rigorous enough to publish in top journals, and relevant enough to be on the front page. I think we've ticked that box here!

Late to this but really excellent news.

And for those interested in economic measurement, the call for the @escoeorg.bsky.social annual conference (19-21 May, KCL London) is now open.

Keynotes by Carol Corrado, Xavier Jaravel and Canada's Chief Statistician. Submit by 12 January.

Congratulations to Christine and her collaborators - great to see this fine body of work get the recognition it deserves!

In Britain’s ‘hedgehog economy’, growth is wild, spiky – ... The spines on the OBR’s charts are a signal to the chancellor to pull all the levers to improve our growth prospects

More on the productivity hedgehog here

observer.co.uk/news/busines...

There will be lots of speculation about tax over the next 6 weeks, for better or worse. This chapter is a plea for the government to think about how to make the system work better, rather than just raise the taxes which pose fewest short-term political hurdles.

Some highlights:

Next seminar: @peterlevell.bsky.social (Institute for Fiscal Studies) joint work with Martin O'Connell and Kate Smith will be presenting "The welfare effects of price shocks and household relief packages: evidence from an energy crisis" on Oct 15, 12.00 CET. www.bde.es/wbe/en/areas... #bdeResearch

New at JIE: "Household responses to trade shocks" by Aitor Irastorza-Fadrique (@aitor-if.bsky.social), Peter Levell (@peterlevell.bsky.social), Matthias Parey

doi.org/10.1016/j.ji...

Chart shows defence spending out-turn and plans. Title states: "Meeting the NATO defence spending commitment would be equivalent to spending an extra £36 billion, or £500 per person, a year in current terms."

NEW: Honouring the NATO commitment to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 would reshape the British state.

@maxwarner.bsky.social & @beeboileau.bsky.social's new IFS Green Budget chapter, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org, examines the past and future of UK defence spending:

[THREAD:]

Do join us for this!

Money Box - Future of Pensions and Heat Networks - BBC Sounds A wide-reaching report makes recommendations about the future of pensions.

Had a good chat on
@moneybox.bsky.social with @paullewismoney.bsky.social
about our Pensions Review work and what we should do about the triple lock and automatic enrolment – you can listen to it here:

bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Really looking forward to this - it's going to be great!

A nice write up of our research as part of @escoeorg.bsky.social on local consumption spending. More info (and interactive graphics!) here! ifs.org.uk/articles/whi...

Gautam Vyas, Research Economist at the IFS, ESCoE Research Associate, and an author of the paper, said: “People care deeply about regional inequalities, but rankings of living standards across areas depend greatly on how you measure them. Our findings challenge the conventional wisdom that the typical London household enjoys higher living standards than their counterparts across the country. Rather, it seems that a combination of higher housing costs and differences in saving behaviour implies that high incomes do not translate into higher consumption spending for Londoners.”

How much do living standards vary across the country?

ESCoE/ @theifs.bsky.social work finds that measuring living standards using average household spending gives a starkly different picture of regional inequalities than using average household income tinyurl.com/bfzajkr5

@peterlevell.bsky.social

Helen Miller appointed as new Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies | Institute for Fiscal Studies The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is delighted to announce that Helen Miller has been appointed as its next Director.

Congratulations to @helenmiller.bsky.social on her appointment as the next director of the IFS!

Give her a follow!

ifs.org.uk/news/helen-m...

The way UK inflation is worked out is changing – and it will matter for everyone Gathering data on consumer prices and the products we’re really buying will become far more precise, giving a better picture of how we deal with rising costs.

Fascinating (no, really!).

Do tariffs work? | Institute for Fiscal Studies We discuss the economic consequences of tariffs, why governments use them, and whether they actually achieve their intended goals.

NEW PODCAST: Do tariffs work?

@pjtheeconomist.bsky.social and @peterlevell.bsky.social discuss the economic consequences of tariffs, why governments use them, and whether they actually achieve their intended goals.

➡️ Listen to the podcast here: ifs.org.uk/articles/do-...

Exposure to air pollution in England, 2003–23 | Institute for Fiscal Studies We set out how air pollution (PM2.5) has changed across England and explore inequalities by ethnicity, income deprivation, region and age.

Our IFS report on air pollution is out! Good news first: air pollution (PM2.5) has HALVED in England since 2003, with a big drop during Covid. There's no rebound post Covid, somewhat puzzlingly. We use DEFRA data, monitoring station data shows the same thing. (1/7)
ifs.org.uk/publications...

Our paper on cheapflation is now an ESCoE discussion paper

Check at our tool to see how house prices, and the housing stock, has changed in your local area

Don't forget to tune in to Abdoulaye's seminar today at 15:30 London time! #EconSky

My colleague @maxwarner.bsky.social is new to BlueSky- follow him for excellent research on the evolving state of the NHS!

On the economics job market? Opportunities for PhDs to join as Research Economists in labour/crime, public finance, and education/nutrition/health at the IFS @theifs.bsky.social
econjobmarket.org/positions/10... #EconSky

Are you on the economics job market? Opportunities for PhDs to join as post docs (one and three year post docs available) @theifs.bsky.social econjobmarket.org/positions/10... #EconSky

This is a great opportunity for students wanting to learn more about a career in economics research. Come along to find out more!

Delighted to be on the Scientific Committee for next year's annual ESCoE conference which will take place at King's College London from 21-23 May 2025. We've launched the Call for Papers today with more details here: www.escoe.ac.uk/events/escoe... Take a look and get involved!

A longstanding puzzle in macroeconomics is why individuals with similar levels of available liquidity can have very different marginal propensities to consume (MPCs). We use a new approach to better investigate differences in consumer behaviour in response to hypothetical, one-off gains and losses: using open-ended questions and text analysis to understand the motives underlying consumers decisions. High-liquidity individuals with high MPCs often cite mental accounting motives. Apparently illiquid individuals report a range of coping mechanisms in response to a loss, including labour supply responses, relying on friends and family and selling possessions. This implies greater effective liquidity than narrow financial measures indicate.

New CEPR Discussion Paper
DP19628 What would you do with £500? (...in your own words)
Thomas Crossley (University of Michigan), @peterlevell.bsky.social (@theifs.bsky.social), Sofía Sierra Vásquez (EUI)
cepr.org/publications...
📉📈 #EconSky
#CEPR_MG #CEPR_PE