We are Scotland’s progressive think tank. We are dedicated to supporting and improving public policy, working tirelessly to achieve a progressive Scotland.
📰Great to see our work on the front page of @heraldscotland.bsky.social - finely reported by @andrewlearmonth.bsky.social ⤵️ www.heraldscotland.com/news/2598166...
Scotland 'sleepwalking into austerity' with bid to axe 20,000 public sector jobsScottish Government plans to cut nearly 20,000 public sector jobs by the end of the decade cannot be done without cutting frontline services and…www.heraldscotland.com⚠️ Scotland could be sleepwalking into austerity ⚠️ 🔴Our new analysis warns looming public sector job cuts could hollow out essential services just as demand rises. 📢The choices made now will shape Scotland’s public services for years. Read the report ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/mor...
More for less? Employment, productivity and reform in Scottish public services | IPPRYet there is currently widespread dissatisfaction with the services that the devolved public sector in Scotland provides. And concerns over their future viwww.ippr.orgThread ⤵️
Dave HawkeyThe headline child poverty rate (21% average across financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25) does not bode well for Scottish government to hit its 2030 target (10%). But with changes to the methodology behind the stats there is noise in the data that we should avoid over-interpreting.
With Scotland going into a major election, parties pledging to tackle child poverty must be clear that the issue is a structural feature of an unequal society. We respond to today's child poverty stats⤵️ www.ippr.org/media-office...
“It’s essential that the UK and Scottish governments work together to ensure this project is pushed forward and that ground is broken on the factory as soon as possible." Read our full response to Vesta's decision to invest in a new nacelle and hub factory in Scotland⤵️ www.ippr.org/media-office...
New child poverty stats are due tomorrow, but Scotland is already projected to miss its 2030 target by a wide margin. In this blog, @davehawkey.bsky.social looks at why progress has stalled and why reducing child poverty requires a more equal distribution of income⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/wha...
What would it take to eradicate child poverty in Scotland? | IPPRThe Scottish government is set to publish a new set of child poverty statistics for 2024-25. While we expect some movement in the figures due to improvemenwww.ippr.orgReducing child poverty isn't easy but we have a very good understanding of what works. With the Scottish govt set to announce child poverty statistics this week, @stephenboydippr.bsky.social in this piece for The Daily Record argues benefits play a huge role. www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politic...
Parties must be clear in the election on how they will reduce child povertyIn an article for the Record, IPPR Scotland Director Stephen Boyd says benefits play a huge role in tackling poverty.www.dailyrecord.co.ukAs global conflict brings another round of inflation into view, the imperative to support low-income families becomes ever more acute. The government must keep kids afloat if the cost-of-living crisis deepens. Our response to the child poverty plans announced today: www.ippr.org/media-office...
👱🏿♀️On the occasion of International Women's Day, we revisit this old blog by @sukhadatatke.bsky.social. ✍🏿"Women in Scotland are far likelier than men to take on childcare and other caring responsibilities, which puts them at an economic disadvantage." www.ippr.org/articles/wom...
Women in Scotland: the gendered impact of care on financial stability and well-being | IPPRIt is not just anecdata — it goes far beyond Instagram reels and mommy blogs. The evidence is everywhere. Women are much likelier than men to engage in carwww.ippr.org🏴 With fiscal pressures mounting ahead of the Holyrood election, reforming Scotland’s public services is back in the spotlight. ⏰But what do public servants themselves say needs to change? In our latest blog, @caseysmithippr.bsky.social goes inside the system ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/on-...
On the ground: how Scotland’s public servants experience public service reform | IPPRGiven widely recognised fiscal pressures, we can expect to hear plenty of discussion during this May’s Holyrood election about the need to make public servwww.ippr.orgRapid technological advances and the implementation of AI has the potential to transform healthcare - however this does not necessarily translate into reduced costs for public services. Read our latest blog on the limits of new technology in making healthcare cheaper www.ippr.org/articles/wil...
Will technology reduce the cost of delivering public services? | IPPRThe Scottish government has huge ambitions for digitising public services. In late November 2025, first minister John Swinney stated that: “…the potentialwww.ippr.orgHigh spending on social protection does more than just place a safety net for the economically disadvantaged; it helps economies to become more productive. The welfare state is more than a safety net. ICYMI, here's our latest report ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/mor...
More than a safety net: The welfare state as springboard to economic success and a better country | IPPRIt is widely proposed that higher social spending – especially in the form of social security benefits – is damaging to the economy. Yet the evidence presewww.ippr.org📢 It's launch day!🚀 💷 Social spending ≠ economic damage. 💪Plenty of countries prove you can have strong social security and strong economies. Read our new report, More than a Safety Net ⤵️ @stephenkb.bsky.social @davehawkey.bsky.social @caseysmithippr.bsky.social www.ippr.org/articles/mor...
More than a safety net: The welfare state as springboard to economic success and a better country | IPPRIt is widely proposed that higher social spending – especially in the form of social security benefits – is damaging to the economy. Yet the evidence presewww.ippr.org💷 Why do the costs of health, education & care services seem to rise relentlessly? In our latest blog we turn to William Baumol to explain why it pays to be cautious about rapid productivity growth/lower costs in people driven services. @stephenboydippr.bsky.social🖊️ www.ippr.org/articles/ret...
Rethinking public sector productivity | IPPRThe Spending Review published alongside the 2026-27 Budget commits the Scottish government to a programme of reform ‘designed to protect frontline serviceswww.ippr.org📢 Starting today, we will publish a series of blogs as part of our project on Employment, Productivity and Reform in the Scottish Public Sector. First up, this blog by @davehawkey.bsky.social looking at teacher pay per pupil in Scotland in an international context. ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/app...
Apples and oranges? Scottish teachers’ pay in international context | IPPROngoing pressures on the Scottish government budget are firing debate about the public sector paybill. Is the public sector in Scotland unmanageably big? Awww.ippr.org"Stephen Boyd, the director of the Institute for Public Policy Research Scotland, described the proposals as 'profoundly unserious, almost comically so'." @stephenboydippr.bsky.social contributed to this article on Reform's tax plans. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reform says it would cut green policies to fund £2bn income tax cut in ScotlandParty’s pitch to voters in May Holyrood elections dismissed as ‘profoundly unserious, almost comically so’ by analystswww.theguardian.comScotland’s Budget raises ambition — but ducks the hard fiscal choices⚠️ 👶Eradicating child poverty isn’t cheap. 🌡️Climate action needs additional spend. 🏫Public services can’t improve on real-terms cuts. Read more in @stephenboydippr.bsky.social's blog here ⤵️ www.ippr.org/articles/pol...
Policy credibility and the Scottish Budget | IPPRRather than parse the fine detail of the budget (others, including our friends at FAI, are already doing this very effectively) this blog will zoom out towww.ippr.org