Rephonic
Artwork for IFS Zooms In: The Economy

IFS Zooms In: The Economy

Institute for Fiscal Studies
UK Economy
NHS
Public Services
Taxation
Institute For Fiscal Studies
Public Finances
Public Spending
Labour Party
Child Poverty
Economic Growth
Tax Policy
State Pension
Pensions
Conservative Party
Social Care
Income Tax
Fiscal Policy
Housing Market
United Kingdom
Council Tax

The IFS podcast about the UK economy, tax, public spending and living standards. Each week, IFS Director Helen Miller speaks to leading economists and researchers to explain the economic issues shaping the UK. Step beyond the headlines with in-depth, independent analysis from the experts at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes201Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
News CommentaryNewsPolitics

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for IFS Zooms In: The Economy

Latest Episodes

What should we expect from the upcoming Budget? With energy prices rising, pressure on public services and government borrowing already high, the Chancellor faces some difficult choices.

Recorded live at the British Library as part of the Economic a... more

YouTube

> Sign up to our live event: ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-look-ahead-budget <

The economic outlook has worsened since the spring. Inflation is expected to be higher for longer, borrowing costs have risen, and the conflict in the Middle E... more

YouTube

> Sign up to our live event: ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-look-ahead-budget <

Renewable energy is at the centre of the debate about Britain's high electricity prices. Some argue that wind and solar power are driving up costs, requiring e... more

YouTube

>>> Sign up to our live event: ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-look-ahead-budget <<<

The government has announced a major change to the state pension triple lock. The new system will continue to protect pensions against inflation and guarant... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Political Fix
Political FixFinancial Times
The Politics Show
The Politics ShowThe New Statesman
Political Currency
Political CurrencyPersephonica

Recent Guests

Jonathan Cribb
Economist, pensions specialist, colleague of Helen Miller
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Episode: Has the triple lock been fixed?
Heidi Karjalainen
Pensions expert, colleague of Helen Miller
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Episode: Has the triple lock been fixed?
Eduin Latimer
Author of the report and IFS researcher
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Episode: Do disability benefits need reform?
Tom Waters
Co-author of the IFS report and IFS researcher
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Episode: Do disability benefits need reform?
Andrew Dilnot
Chairman of the Independent Commission on the Funding of Care and Support (Dilnot Commission)
Independent Commission on the Funding of Care and Support
Episode: What would it take to fix social care?
David Phillips
In-house expert on local and devolved government finances
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Episode: What would it take to fix social care?
Madeleine Sumption
Director of the Migration Observatory, Oxford; Interim Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee
University of Oxford
Episode: How does immigration affect the public finances?
Max Warner
Lead author on a new report on immigration and the public finances for the Green Budget
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Episode: How does immigration affect the public finances?
Stuart Adam
IFS in-house expert in tax design
Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)
Episode: Land value tax: the perfect tax?

Host

Helen Miller
Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies; hosts IFS Zooms In: The Economy and related discussions

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 239 ratings
  • Do disability benefits need reform?

    I didn’t have the stomach to get past the introduction. Hearing the presenters compare rising disability benefit spending with ambitions for defence spending was deeply disappointing. Disabled people were framed as a fiscal problem, and support with the extra costs of disability as money that could fund military ambitions.

    Why not punch up? Scrutinise the Governor of the Bank of England, quantitative tightening and the billions in taxpayer money covering losses on the Bank’s asset purchases. Wh... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Jon Abrams
    United Kingdom21 days ago
  • Audio quality is terrible

    Totally unlistenable as audio quality so bad from many of the speakers

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Sir Mate
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • Excellent, simply explained

    I recommend this podcast to everyone I know - great, accessible explanations for practitioners and people with no knowledge of the tax system alike. More please!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Hebp242
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Economically illiterate

    Economically illiterate. Okay that’s harsh as some of the points made are coherent but there’s so much of a rambling scatter gun approach, a failure to distinguish between tax rises and cutting transfer payments (as though they are the economic equivalent, they are not) and continually ignoring the failure to tax the capital gains on prime residential property (this could be done as a death duty instead of the bonkers 40% tax on value) instead of silly assertions that there should be an annual t... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Rosenbaum & Wolf
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Brilliant

    Helen Miller the new Director is excellent 👌 I like her summaries at the end of each podcast

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    HilBiker
    United Kingdoma year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Episodes are valued for clear, data-driven explanations.
Audio quality is a frequent complaint, though content quality and expertise are praised.
Pacing and speed of delivery can be challenging for some listeners, but guests and hosts are seen as credible and insightful.
Listeners appreciate rigorous analysis of UK public finances and policy options.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What would it take to fix social care?
Q: What reforms did the Dilnot Commission propose?
The commission proposed funding the means-tested system adequately, addressing cliff edges, and introducing a social insurance model with an excess (cap) on lifetime care costs, so individuals pay the first portion while the state pools catastrophic risk for high-cost cases.
What would it take to fix social care?
Q: Why is private insurance not a viable solution for social care costs?
Private insurers face market failures due to the unpredictable and highly skewed cost distribution, difficulty pricing long-tail risks, and the need for a universal pool to cover catastrophic costs, which makes state-backed pooling more feasible and stable.
The inequality of 'good jobs'
Q: Before I ask how have good jobs changed, what is a good job in your mind?
A good job is multidimensional, including pay and benefits, but also terms and conditions, security, predictability of hours, health and well-being, opportunities for progression, job design, and voice or representation in decision-making.
The tough fiscal reality facing the UK government
Q: Why are we worried about the current budget versus the investment budget?
Because current spending funds day-to-day operations, while investment spending is future-oriented; balancing current spending helps debt dynamics, but investment can still be financed if it supports growth and productivity.
The tough fiscal reality facing the UK government
Q: Chris, why should people care about the fiscal situation?
Because everything the government does—pensions, health, education, policing—depends on public finances being in order, so stability and credible plans matter for everyday outcomes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About IFS Zooms In: The Economy

What is IFS Zooms In: The Economy about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program delivers in-depth, data-driven analysis of UK public finances, economics, and policy, with frequent guests from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and other think tanks. Episodes tackle pensions, inequality, regional disparities, energy, local government funding, and fiscal rules, often weighing policy options against empirical evidence. A notable strength is the rigorous, numbers-first approach from researchers, with accessible explanations that help practitioners and informed listeners understand complex trade-offs. A few episodes feature external commentators from media and academia, offering broader perspectives while keeping the discussion grounded in data. Listeners are likely drawn to policy nuance, long-run impacts of gov... more

Where can I find podcast stats for IFS Zooms In: The Economy?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for IFS Zooms In: The Economy. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to IFS Zooms In: The Economy and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does IFS Zooms In: The Economy get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for IFS Zooms In: The Economy, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for IFS Zooms In: The Economy?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for IFS Zooms In: The Economy, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does IFS Zooms In: The Economy have?

To see how many followers or subscribers IFS Zooms In: The Economy has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to IFS Zooms In: The Economy?

These podcasts share a similar audience with IFS Zooms In: The Economy:

1. Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government
2. Political Fix
3. The Rest Is Money
4. The Politics Show
5. Political Currency

How many episodes of IFS Zooms In: The Economy are there?

IFS Zooms In: The Economy launched 6 years ago and published 201 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact IFS Zooms In: The Economy?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for IFS Zooms In: The Economy?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for IFS Zooms In: The Economy from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for IFS Zooms In: The Economy?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of IFS Zooms In: The Economy. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on IFS Zooms In: The Economy?

Recent guests on IFS Zooms In: The Economy include:

1. Jonathan Cribb
2. Heidi Karjalainen
3. Eduin Latimer
4. Tom Waters
5. Andrew Dilnot
6. David Phillips
7. Madeleine Sumption
8. Max Warner

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days