Today, we’re asking whether people in the UK will be able to afford a decent standard of living in retirement.

While the foundations of the system—like the state pension and automatic enrolment—are strong, there are growing concerns. Rising state pension ages, the unpredictability of the ‘triple lock’, low private saving rates, and the complexity of managing pension wealth in later life all pose challenges for future retirees.

So, what changes are needed to improve outcomes? What’s the right balance between state support and private saving? And how can pensions be made easier to navigate?

Paul Johnson is joined by IFS Deputy Director Carl Emmerson and Senior Research Economist Laurence O’Brien to discuss the findings of the IFS pensions review.

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Today, we’re looking back at one of the most ambitious policies ever introduced for young children in England – Sure Start.

Launched by the Labour government in 1999, Sure Start aimed to give every child the best start in life by bringing together early education, childcare, health services, and parental support under one roof. At its peak, more than 3,000 centres were operating across the country. But since 2010, the programme has been scaled back, with funding cut by around two-thirds.

So, what difference did Sure Start really make? How was it implemented? And why does it still shape today’s debates around early years services?

Paul Johnson is joined by IFS Associate Director Christine Farquharson and former Education Secretary Ed Balls to explore the legacy and lessons of Sure Start.

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Delays in the Crown Court are at record highs, despite more funding and longer court hours. So what’s really causing the growing backlog of serious criminal cases in England and Wales?

In this episode, Paul Johnson is joined by Ben Zaranko (IFS) and Cassia Rowland (Institute for Government) to explore why court productivity may have slowed, what the consequences are for victims and defendants, and whether more money alone can fix the problem.

Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership

Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts

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