Episode Summary
In this episode, FAI Director Mairi Spowage and Deputy Director João Sousa join economist Hannah Randolph to discuss aspects of the government’s fiscal rules, including the role of the OBR’s forecasts and whether or not the new government will be able to borrow to invest.
Episode notes
Participants
Dr Hannah Randolph, Associate Economist, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde
Professor Mairi Spowage, Director, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde
Dr João Sousa, Deputy Director, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde
Time stamps
(0:20) Fiscal headroom, economic growth, and the role of the OBR forecasts
(15:55) Can the new government borrow to invest?
(24:58) Tax proposals in party manifestos
(34:02) What’s next in the FAI General Election coverage
Authors
Hannah is a Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute. She specialises in applied social policy analysis with a focus on social security, poverty and inequality, labour supply, and immigration.
Mairi is the Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute. Previously, she was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Head of National Accounts at the Scottish Government and has over a decade of experience working in different areas of statistics and analysis.
João is Deputy Director and Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute. Previously, he was a Senior Fiscal Analyst at the Office for Budget Responsibility, where he led on analysis of long-term sustainability of the UK's public finances and on the effect of economic developments and fiscal policy on the UK's medium-term outlook.