Research Economist

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is Europe’s leading centre for research on the microeconomics of public policy. It is a politically independent registered charity aiming to bridge the gap between academia and the wider public. IFS researchers are not only excellent economists, but are able to think creatively about economics and shape their innovative ideas into research programmes. They are keen to use empirical economic analysis to inform policymaking and to pass on their enthusiasm for economics to others, both inside and outside the Institute.

The IFS is headed by Director Paul Johnson and Research Director Imran Rasul. Research co-directors include Rachel Griffith and Fabien Postel-Vinay, and IFS has a large number of Research Fellows including Richard Blundell, James Banks, Eric French along with many others.

The IFS is looking to recruit a number of outstanding economists to join our team. They should have a strong interest and proven expertise in one of the areas listed below. These are permanent positions with a remit to help shape, carry out, and communicate empirical research. We promote from within, and successful candidates would have scope for promotion and to develop a long-term career at IFS.

Staff at this level will be expected to develop rigorous and policy relevant research ideas, take the lead in writing research funding applications, undertake high quality and rigorous research publishable in high-ranking academic journals in a timely and efficient manner, and present and disseminate their research to academic and non-academic audiences. Researchers at IFS are also expected to engage in mentorship and development of more junior researchers, often including formal line management responsibilities. They will also be expected to contribute to the wider intellectual life and running of the institute. They will work within a team of researchers whose direction of research fits with the researcher’s expertise and interests. This will likely include a mix of senior academics and IFS research staff.

Successful candidates will have an excellent academic background, a track-record of producing high quality economic research in one of the areas listed below and experience of and/or commitment to working on the UK context. First rate communication skills and a capacity and willingness to manage and develop junior colleagues are essential. Experience of achieving policy impact through research or of successfully bidding for external funding would be an additional asset.

We welcome applications from individuals who have completed their PhD or students expecting to complete a PhD in 2025.

Four research economist positions are being recruited for, in the areas below.

Tax policy

In this area we focus on the study of how various aspects of tax affect the choices of individuals and firms, including in relation to individuals’ work choices, firms’ investment choices and tax avoidance. Our research is based on developing and exploiting large datasets, most recently including HMRC tax records. We use estimates of how tax affects behaviour alongside knowledge of institutions and tax design to address topical policy questions. For example, current research is considering how capital incomes should be taxed relative to labour incomes, accounting for the effect that policy choices have on entrepreneurship, avoidance and inequality. There will be considerable scope to shape future research ideas and to work on new initiatives to communicate our work and shape tax policy debates.

Health and Nutrition

Research in this area focuses on the drivers of healthy (or unhealthy) nutrition choices, and how this affects outcomes such as body weight, wider physical and mental health, and wider human capital outcomes. Much of our work leverages a uniquely detailed scanner dataset covering at-home and out-of-home purchases over more than 20 years, but we also use survey datasets and administrative data. We focus particularly on health and nutrition during pregnancy and throughout childhood and adolescence. Current and planned projects include an evaluation of the impact of Healthy Start vouchers on food purchases, child health, and education outcomes; analysis of food purchasing during pregnancy and infant feeding choices; analysing the impacts of (free) school meals on food purchases; and documenting the growth and use of meal delivery apps like Deliveroo or UberEats on food purchases. While this agenda is solidly grounded in economics, we have an excellent network of external collaborators from different disciplines. We also have strong links to policymakers: as part of the Healthy Weight Policy Research Unit (funded by the Department for Health and Social Care), our team is regularly asked to contribute insight and analysis to key policy decisions, including through rapid response research and longer-term policy projects.

Economic Opportunities by Race and Ethnicity

The IFS is launching an ambitious programme of research to examine the causes and consequences of differences in economic opportunities by race and ethnicity in the UK. The agenda covers work in five areas: on the economics of identity formation, education and social mobility, career progression, wealth accumulation, and crime. The successful applicant can work across these areas – the research projects are based on the utilisation of administrative records in education, labour markets, and criminal offending. The work can also include the use of field experiments. The agenda will combine longer-term research projects and shorter pieces of work to bear on highly topical policy issues.

Economics of the Justice System

The IFS is launching a new programme of work on the economics of justice system. This spans areas of criminal justice, family justice, civil and administrative justice. The agenda is divided into two broad areas: first to understand how policy reforms within the justice system have impacted access to justice, the efficiency of the justice system, and equality of outcomes; second to understand how reforms in other areas of social policy, related to education, labour markets and the tax and welfare system, have driven demands on the justice system. The work is largely based on newly available administrative data on the justice system – covering policing, courts, prisons and probation system, with the future possibility of linking these to other administrative data from the education system for example. The successful candidate will contribute to the research agenda, lead on research projects, and contribute to policy-focused outputs.

Applications for all positions should be submitted via EconJobMarket. We aim to interview shortlisted candidates at the European Job Market, which will be held virtually during the week commencing 16 December 2024. Subsequent fly-outs will be arranged in January 2025 for a smaller number of candidates.

If you have any queries, please email [email protected].

Additional Information

Contract: permanent

Salary: from £60,000

Closing date: 22 November 2024

Initial interviews: European Job Market for Economists, w/b 16 December 2024

Interview/fly-out dates: from early January 2025