Paul Johnson

Economist and Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Economist

Paul Johnson is the Director of the UK’s leading economic research institute, which has won the title of economic and financial think tank of the year. He has been recognized in various prestigious lists, including the Public Finance Top 50, the Higher Education Top 50 “Power List,” and the International Tax Review Global Top 50. Paul provides expert analysis on the economics of public policy, covering areas such as tax, welfare, inequality, pensions, education, climate change, and public finances.

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What Paul Johnson's Clients Say

Here is some of the feedback from audiences and clients who have worked with Paul.

"Thank you very much indeed for speaking at our away day. We all really appreciated the time you took and everyone really valued the insight you provided. The feedback was very positive."

Tesco

"Paul has been a regular keynote speaker at our client conferences and we continue to receive great feedback about Paul’s sessions year after year. He has kept his sessions fresh and topical for each of the events that he has spoken at. Paul listens carefully to briefings and always delivers his presentation material on time – a pleasure to work with."

Willis Towers Watson

"It was a pleasure to meet you in Manchester this week, and to hear your thoughts. Many thanks for an excellent job in chairing a very well received panel session, plus the opening address for our Leadership Forum. The session set a super basis for the whole event and thoughts to take into the rest of the agenda. The feedback from all of the delegates I have spoken to has been very positive."

Civica

"Paul really managed to bring economics to life for our audience. He was interesting, engaging, very easy to work with and conveyed the subject matter’s importance without making it appear in any way dull or dry. A great speaker."

Creative England

"Thank you so much for speaking to our audience yesterday morning. It was just perfect - an excellent overview and obviously credible."

Owen James

"First class – real clarity."

Eversheds

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Paul Johnson's 2025 Biography

Meet Paul Johnson

Paul is Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK’s leading economic research institute. He writes a weekly column for The Times and is an Honorary Professor at the UCL Policy Lab. In addition, Paul is a board member of the Climate Change Committee.

The IFS has won ‘Economic and Financial Think Tank of the Year’ four years in succession and hosts two major research centres combining its leading role in public policy with world leading academic economic research.

As well as working at the IFS, Paul has also worked at the FSA, was chief economist at the department for education, and director of public spending at HM Treasury as well as deputy head of the Government Economic Service.

Paul’s book Follow the Money: How Much Does Britain Cost? was published in early 2023, illustrating how well – or not – the government raises and spends £1 trillion every year. It has already been a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller and aims to hold the government to account. Robert Peston described it as ‘an important book by the economist who has set the terms of so much political debate over the past decade.’ “Gripping and horrifying…witty and brilliant. Buy it.’ The Times.

He is a frequent contributor to written and broadcast media and his radio recordings include the acclaimed ‘Austerity Audit’ for Radio 4. He has published extensively on the economics of public policy including tax, welfare, housing, pensions, education, climate change and public finances.

In 2018 Paul was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list for services to the social sciences and economics.

Paul Johnson's 2025 Talks & Topics

Paul Johnson's Latest Books

Follow the Money: How Much Does Britain Cost?

Paul Johnson and the enormously respected Institute for Fiscal Studies aim to hold Government to account – without which politicians will get away with their half-truths, elisions and dubious claims. This is a forensic examination – by the man best placed to do so – of the way the state raises and spends £1 trillion of our money every year. To follow the money. To provide an explanation, of where that money comes from and where it goes to, how that has changed and how it needs to change. 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.

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