With COVID, strikes, staff shortages, an enormous waiting list and an ever-ageing population (amongst other issues), the NHS is coming under greater pressure than ever. In this episode, we take a look at the state of the NHS across a range of areas.

How is the service doing at the moment? Will we see a pay settlement for nurses and other workers? And are there any reasons to hope that better days are ahead?

Joining us are Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Providers, a membership organisation for NHS acute, ambulance, community and mental health services, and Max Warner, IFS researcher and NHS expert.

Find out more: www.ifs.org.uk/podcast

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Two years ago, in the depths of lockdown, the future for young people looked bleak. Policymakers worried about an unemployment crisis, lost career opportunities and a generation of young people missing out on key milestones.

The reality - at least on the jobs front - is far rosier than many predicted. But is it all good news for those who graduated during COVID and entered the jobs market during the work from home era? What about those in non-graduate jobs? And what about the next generation - those who were in school during the peak of COVID?

This week we're joined by Sarah O'Connor, employment columnist at the Financial Times, and Xiaowei Xu, Senior Economist at IFS to answer these questions.

Find out more: www.ifs.org.uk/podcast

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Happy New Year! After a tumultuous 2022, we look to the year ahead and hope for calmer waters.

Joining us on our voyage into the future are Dr. Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon, Director of the UK in a Changing Europe.

From strikes and immigration, to Budgets and Brexit, we offer our best analysis of the situation we're currently in, and what we expect to happen next year.

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Last week, the Chancellor gave his autumn statement. In the run-up, many expected significant cuts to public spending, ushering in a new era of austerity.

But did these anticipated cuts happen? How important is it to bring down debt? And after a decade of cuts in the 2010s, how are departments faring?

This week, we speak with Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government, and Carl Emmerson, Deputy Director at IFS.

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This week, we're bringing you the IFS Annual Lecture, given this year by Baroness Minouche Shafik. In it she talks about what a new social contract for the 21st century would look like.

Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-annual-lecture-baroness-minouche-shafik

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Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a fall in the employment rate in the UK, driven by a rise in the rate of economic inactivity rather than in unemployment. 

What has been happening to older workers since the pandemic? Why are they leaving the workforce? Should government work to bring them back?

We speak to Jonathan Cribb, Associate Director at IFS, and Beatrice Boileau, Research Economist at IFS to find out what has been happening with older workers.

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The UK economy faces a series of challenging headwinds - high inflation, higher energy prices and a 'terms of trade' shock. These are squeezing household budgets and pushing up the cost of living. The adverse market reaction to the Chancellor's 'mini-budget' on the 23rd September has created further difficulties.

In this year's Green Budget, our flagship annual report funded by the Nuffield Foundation in partnership with Citi, we explore the Chancellor's options for achieving fiscal sustainability.

We speak with Carl Emmerson, IFS Deputy Director, and Ben Nabarro, Chief UK Economist at Citi, to take a broad view of the UK economy and the public finances, and see what a path forward might look like.

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In recent weeks, the new Prime Minister has argued that the UK has been too focused on redistribution.

But what role does the benefit system play in redistribution? Has this changed over recent decades? And should benefits be uprated in line with inflation?

Joining us are Charlotte Pickles, Director of Reform, and Tom Waters, IFS Senior Economist.

Find out more: https://www.ifs.org.uk/podcast

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Workers in the public sector have seen their pay squeezed over the last decade, and with inflation on the rise, disputes over pay look set to dominate the headlines this autumn.

Across the public sector, we're hearing stories of hiring issues, staff retention and squeezed budgets. These issues all affect the morale of the workforce and the delivery of public services.

What will the government do? How much would inflation matching pay increases cost? What would a longer-term plan to deal with these issues look like?

This week we speak to Ben Zaranko, IFS expert on public finances and Delphine Strauss, Economics Correspondent at the Financial Times.

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Public sector pensions episode: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/future-public-sector-pensions

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As Liz Truss takes office, she is faced with a series of interlocking challenges - rising inflation, an energy crisis and a cost of living crisis.

How can she tackle these in the short-term and put the country back on surer footing in the long-term?

Paul speaks to IFS economists Ben Zaranko and Xiaowei Xu to assess the challenges facing the new Prime Minister.

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