The challenging fiscal situation facing the next government means that both Labour and the Conservatives are looking for ways to improve public services without large increases in spending. Improving the productivity of public services is often proposed as a way to achieve this. This follows the...

We evaluate the efficiency of public expenditure in the 27 European countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), we map performance over the period 1995-2023, incorporating Musgravian functional spending -...

The European Union is grappling with the challenge of increasing defence expenditure while maintaining fiscal discipline under the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The European Commission has proposed activating the national escape clause available under the SGP to accommodate defence spending...

The medium-term budget projection for 2025 to 2029 indicates a persistently high need for fiscal consolidation in Austria's public finances. If the consolidation measures announced by mid-April remain unchanged, the general government deficit would remain close to 4 percent of GDP throughout the...

Hospitals, schools, councils and other parts of the public sector are a major employer in Scotland. The public sector paybill is also a substantial part of government spending. Recent years have seen larger-than-expected increases in both public sector employment and pay, the latter driven by...