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Follow the Money: how much does Britain cost?

Hosted by the Department of Government and School of Public Policy

In-person and online public event (Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building)

Speaker

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

Chair

Professor Andrés Velasco

What is the truth about Britain’s finances? Join us for this event with Paul Johnson from the Institute for Fiscal Studies who will be talking about his new book, Follow the Money.

Government decisions determine the welfare of the poor and the elderly, the state of the health service, the effectiveness of our children’s education, and how prepared we are for the future: whether that is a pandemic or global warming. As a society, we are a reflection of what the government spends.

Johnson looks at what happened following the financial crisis of 2008-09 and the austerity years that followed. He examines the way that the government tackled the economy during Covid – when the UK budget shot up to over a trillion for the first time – and he analyses prospects for our future as we grapple with looming recession and the cost of living crisis.

Meet our speaker and chair

Paul Johnson (@PJTheEconomist) has been Director of the IFS since January 2011. He is also currently visiting professor in the Department of Economics at University College London. Paul has worked and published extensively on the economics of public policy, with a particular focus on income distribution, public finances, pensions, tax, social security, education and climate change. He was awarded a CBE for services to the social sciences and economics in 2018. As well as a previous period of work at the IFS his career has included spells at HM Treasury, the Department for Education and the FSA. Between 2004 and 2007 he was deputy head of the Government Economic Service. Paul is currently also a member of the committee on climate change and the Banking Standards Board. He was an editor of the Mirrlees Review of the UK tax system.

Andrés Velasco (@AndresVelasco) is Professor of Public Policy and Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE. He was previously the Minister of Finance of Chile between March 2006 and March 2010.

More about this event

This event forms part of LSE’s Understanding the UK Economy series, showcasing research and expertise on the state of the UK economy, its global context and its future.

The Department of Government (@LSEGovernment) at LSE is home to some of the most internationally respected experts in politics and government; producing influential research that has a global impact on policy, and delivering world-class teaching to our students.

The LSE School of Public Policy (@LSEPublicPolicy) equips you with the skills and ideas to transform people and societies. It is an international community where ideas and practice meet. Their approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance.

You can order the book Follow the Money (UK delivery only) rom our official LSE Events independent book shop, Pages of Hackney.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEUKEconomy

Podcast & Video

A podcast of this event is available to download from Follow the Money: how much does Britain cost?

A video of this event is available to watch at Follow the Money: how much does Britain cost?

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This event will be streamed live on YouTube.

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