Festival of Social Science 2022

As part of this year’s festival, researchers from the IFS will be involved in a series of digital events covering a huge range of topics.

All of these events will be free to watch to the general public. A list of our events can be found here, and is also included below, with links to more information and to register where available.

We hope you’ll be able to join us for at least some of what should be a fascinating three weeks of talks.

Professor Alison Park, ESRC’s Interim Executive Chair, said:

“The ESRC Festival of Social Science offers a fascinating insight into some of the country’s leading social science research and its relevance to individuals, society and the economy.  This year we are celebrating the festival’s 20th birthday with hundreds of free events across the UK, including at IFS. We hope the events are enjoyable and inspiring.”

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Pay, pensions & pressures on public services

25 October 2022 | 13:00 – 14:00 | Online

Higher inflation is squeezing household incomes and weighing on the economy recovery. But higher inflation also squeezes public services, whose budgets are fixed in cash terms and are not automatically adjusted in the face of higher cost pressures. Higher than expected public sector pay awards, in particular, are causing budgetary challenges in the NHS, schools, local government, and beyond.

In this event, IFS researchers will examine recent public sector pay awards and how they compare to inflation, what was budgeted for, and what is happening in the private sector. They will then consider what this means for recruitment and retention challenges in the public sector, and what policy might do in response. Finally, they will zoom in to focus on the particular challenges faced by schools.

Presentations will be given by

Bee Boileau, IFS Research Economist
Laurence O’Brien
IFS Research Economist and Luke Sibieta, IFS Research Fellow.

The event will be chaired by Ben Zaranko, IFS Senior Research Economist.

How can we build a more equal education system?

27 October 2022 | 13:00 – 14:00 | Online

Education is one of the most important predictors of people’s life chances. Building an education system that offers all children and young people the chance to reach their potential is essential to tackling wider inequalities in society.

At this online event we will discuss a number of questions: How does education shape people’s outcomes later in life? When do differences in educational attainment emerge? And what can policymakers do to build a more equal education system?

Leading this event is Imran Tahir, IFS Research Economist. The event will be chaired by Christine Farquharson, IFS Senior Research Economist. 

Why and how should developing countries raise more taxes?

1 November 2022 | 12:00 – 13:00 | Online

Governments in many developing countries urgently need to raise funds to invest in education, health and infrastructure. However, they tend to raise far less as a fraction of their GDP in tax revenue than high income countries. Why is this, and what can be done about it?

In this online talk and Q&A, we will discuss why and how taxes need to be designed differently in developing countries faced with high levels of evasion and low state capacity.

Leading this event is Vedanth Nair, IFS Research Economist. The event will be chaired by Anne Brockmeyer, IFS Associate Director.   

Why are levels of pay so different across the UK?

2 November 2022 | 12:30 – 13:30 | Online

There are large and persistent differences in pay and employment across the country. What has caused this regional inequality, and how has it changed over time? At this event, Xiaowei Xu (IFS) will explain what we currently know about these questions, including the role of skills in driving differences between areas, and what we can do to start fixing these issues.

Leading this event is Xiaowei Xu, IFS Senior Research Economist. The event will be chaired by James Banks, CPP Co-Director. 

Sign up here

Student loans in the cost of living crisis

 8 November 2022 | 13:00 – 14:00 | Online

In this online talk and Q&A, we will discuss the future of student loans within England, including the recent major reforms and the problems with the student loan system during the cost of living crisis. We will also look ahead to future plans including the Lifelong Loan Entitlement. There will be plenty of time for your questions afterwards.

Two short presentations will given by:

Ben Waltmann, Senior Research Economist at IFS
Kate Ogden, Research Economist at IFS

The hunt for footloose capital: how to tax a multinational

 10 November 2022 | 13:00 – 14:00 | Online

Recent decades have witnessed falling corporation tax rates across the developed world. In the UK, the main rate of corporation tax has fallen from over 50% in the 1970s to just 19% today. 

In this lecture IFS research economist Isaac Delestre explores the global trends that have driven these changes: asking, who ultimately bears the burden of corporation taxes in a globalised world and why some multinational companies seem to pay so little.

Leading this event is Isaac Delestre, IFS Research Economist. The event will be chaired by Heidi Karjalainen, IFS Research Economist.