The Expert Factor IFS/IfG/UKICE

UK universities are widely regarded as some of the best in the world. Boasting six of Europe’s top ten universities, it’s easy to see why so many students choose to study in Britain.
Yet despite this, Britain faces a major skills shortage. Outcomes vary greatly across students from different backgrounds. And prospective students are increasingly sceptical about whether a degree is worth the money.
With the election fast approaching, all parties are laying out their vision for the future of Britain’s universities. So why does it matter? Are UK universities really world leading? How is it funded? Is this sustainable? Are degrees worth the money? And what needs to change?
In this episode, the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into universities - their funding models, what they cost to the taxpayer, how much they contribute to the economy, where they’re failing, and what needs to change. 
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THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
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The dust has settled, we've caught up on our sleep, and the Expert Factor team have assembled in the studio to make sense of a big set of local elections. Local Government Chronicle editor Sarah Calkin is this week’s special guest, joining Anand and Paul to explain what these votes were all about and why they matter. 
So what do these elections mean for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer? Will the results have any impact on campaign strategies for the general election? Could they even force Sunak to call an early election - or perhaps a very late one?
THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Produced by Milo Hynes and Podmasters
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The general election campaign will probably be all about immigration, the economy, jobs and the NHS, but an industrial strategy – or not, if there isn’t one – could be critical to the future of this country.
But what exactly is an industrial strategy? And why should voters pay attention to whether the government has one – and what Labour might do differently?
Hannah and Paul are joined on this week’s Expert Factor by Giles Wilkes, who has worked on industrial strategy at the heart of government, to explore what an industrial strategy actually means for anyone voting in the general election. When can we tell if an industrial strategy is working? Does Rishi Sunak have an industrial strategy? Has Keir Starmer come up with a plan of his own? What have former prime ministers done with their industrial strategies? Has the UK ever even had a successful industrial strategy?
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THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes

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The NHS is front and centre of a general election campaign. Rishi Sunak has placed the NHS at the heart of the five pledges he wants to voters to judge him on, while Keir Starmer has made NHS reform one of the five missions which he says would drive a Labour government.
But money is tight, and performance levels are poor. That familiar subject of how to reform the NHS is surfacing again – along with the tricky question of how to pay for our health service.
So how is the NHS funded? How much do we spend on the health service? How well is this money spent and why does the NHS never seem to stick to its budget? Are there better ways it could be funded? And are politicians being honest with the public about what the NHS can provide – and how it should be paid for?
On this week’s Expert Factor, the team examine one of the thorniest questions in politics – and a question that is sure to be asked repeatedly in the general election campaign.

THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Produced by Milo Hynes and Podmasters
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Stopping the boats’ was one of Rishi Sunak’s five priorities at the start of 2023. The numbers, and the visuals, of small boats arriving on the UK’s southern coast is an issue long seized upon by Nigel Farage and the Reform Party that has, to some extent, spooked both the Conservatives and Labour. And it is a policy problem that has caused massive headaches for the finest minds in government, a succession of ministers as well as the officials trying to implement that policy.So what's actually happening in asylum policy? How many people are trying to claim asylum in the UK, and what does that really mean? What is the government’s approach to asylum, be it by approaching Rwanda to be a ‘third country’ or otherwise, and is it working? And what, if there is one, could be a better approach?On this week’s Expert Factor the team explore asylum policy and how effective the government’s approach has been to date.
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THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
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With elections being held in the UK, India, the US, Austria, Belgium and for the European Parliament, 2024 is going to be a huge year for politics, politicians and political parties. But could it also be another big year for populists?  
In recent years populist parties of the right and left have exploited anger towards the political elite, a loss of trusts in governments, and growing democratic dissatisfaction. They have surged in polls and made electoral breakthroughs, but will the coming months see more of the same?
What would this mean for the numerous elections set to take place over 2024? Will we see previously fringe candidates rocketing up in the polls? What will happen if Donald Trump wins or loses in the US? Will politics in Europe and beyond lurch to the left or right? Just which voters do these parties most appeal to? And how do we go about improving voters’ faith in their representatives and stop democracy itself coming under threat?
On this week’s Expert Factor the team take a deep dive into populist politics.
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THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
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