Tax-benefit systems, income distribution and work incentives in the European Union

In this paper we study the impact of tax-benefit systems on income inequality and work incentives across the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU). Using EUROMOD, the EU-wide taxbenefit microsimulation model, we disentangle the role of taxes, benefits and social insurance contributions in influencing country specific Gini coefficients and Marginal Effective Tax […]

Anti-smoking policies and smoker well-being: evidence from Britain

[…] smokers with time-inconsistent preferences commit to giving up or reducing the amount they smoke. We use almost 20 years of British individual-level panel data to explore the impact on self-reported psychological well-being of two policy interventions: large real-terms increases in tobacco excise taxes and bans on smoking in public places. We use a difference-in-differences […]

Poverty and income inequality in Scotland: 2011-12

[…] 2011 to March 2012. The latest figures cover a period where the Scottish economy and wider UK economy were both showing little GDP growth and average earnings fell in real terms. These figures include the impact of some changes to benefits resulting from welfare reform, but precede the more significant changes implemented in April 2013.

Earnings and labour market volatility in Britain

[…] of employment or not having a job at all. These trends are correlated with the improvement in the British economy after the early-1990s recession and before the impact of the 2007/8 recession was felt. The findings about volatility trends differ from those for the USA in several respects. In particular there has been no […]

Earnings and labour market volatility in Britain

[…] of employment or not having a job at all. These trends are correlated with the improvement in the British economy after the early-1990s recession and before the impact of the 2007/8 recession was felt. The findings about volatility trends differ from those for the USA in several respects. In particular there has been no […]

Predicting wellbeing

[…] women separately. Not only is a high level of wellbeing a positive end in itself, it also predicts living a longer and more healthy life. Potential policy impact For a long time both social research and social policy have focused on counting and avoiding negative outcomes, rather than measuring and developing positive assets. This […]