Thomas Pope
Deputy Chief Economist
Capital spending in public services
Crumbling schools, hospitals and prisons need a new capital spending plan to turn performance around.
Funding local growth in England
The next government must end "begging bowl culture" of local growth funding.
How the next government should complete the job of English devolution
The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to deliver meaningful and balanced economic growth.
Where next for levelling up?
This short paper highlights five key challenges that any government seeking to reduce regional inequalities will need to address.
A Labour government would need to take big decisions to deliver on its devolution agenda
Do Keir Starmer’s and Angela Rayner’s devolution plans add up?
All work
The Levelling Up Fund will not deliver on the government’s flagship agenda
The fund is another ineffective competitive funding pot that is neither large enough nor targeted enough to make a dent in regional inequalities.
Pay review bodies
Pay review bodies are independent panels that gather evidence and then provide government with advice each year on pay for many public sector workers.
Subnational government in England
England’s usually messy patchwork of governing arrangements makes it an international outlier in its subnational government structures.
Five things we’ve learned about the Brown Commission on the UK’s future
A team of IfG experts weigh up the key recommendations set out in the Gordon Brown's Commission on the UK's Future report.
What does the autumn statement mean for public services?
The autumn statement's impact on public services may be politically unsustainable.
Five things we learned from Jeremy Hunt's 2022 autumn statement
The IfG team give their verdict on the chancellor's autumn statement and what it means for government borrowing, households and public services.
How the government can make progress on levelling up despite tight budgets
The government must do more than just revert to its levelling up white paper’s policy positions if it wants to address regional inequalities.
Sunak and Hunt should not rush into spending cuts
If the government plans to fill some of the fiscal hole through cuts to departmental spending, it should understand there are no easy savings.
Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the UK’s official independent economic and fiscal forecaster.
Investment zones
Investment zones are the government’s new proposal to set up knowledge-intensive clusters to drive economic growth