MICHAEL (MIKE) BREWER
Contact
(Last modified: January 2014)
Telephone
Institute for Social and Economic Research
University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, UK, CO4 3SQ
+44 (0)1206 873374 (work); email: mbrewer@essex.ac.uk
EDUCATION
1996 – 1997
1993 – 1996
University of Bristol, MSc in Economics and Econometrics (Distinction)
University of Cambridge, BA in Economics and Mathematics (1st class)
EMPLOYMENT
April 20112001 – 2011
1997 – 2001
Professor of Economics, Institute for Social and Economic Research,
University of Essex
Institute for Fiscal Studies (Programme Director, Direct Tax and Welfare
sector from July 2004; Deputy Director from October 2010)
Economic Assistant, HM Treasury (including secondment at IFS).
OTHER AFFILIATIONS
2005 – 2009
Research Affiliate, National Poverty Center, University of Michigan
2011 –
Member, CESifo network
2011 – 2014
Research Fellow, IZA
2011 –
Research Fellow, Institute for Fiscal Studies
MAIN RESEARCH GRANTS (PI or sole proposer unless otherwise indicated)
2002 – 2003
“How Much is Enough?”, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)
2003 – 2004
“Childcare Use and Mothers’ Employment”, Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP).
2003 – 2006
“Can Governments Reduce Poverty and Improve Work Incentives?”, JRF.
2004 – 2006
“Poor Households and their Expenditure”, JRF (co-proposer with A.
Goodman)
2004 – 2010
“Impact assessment of In-Work Credit and related policies”, DWP. Project
manager, and co-proposer with L. Dearden and G. Knight.
2005
“Newborns and New Schools: Critical Times in Women’s Employment”,
DWP.
2005 – 2006
“Child poverty in 2010 and 2020”, JRF (and update in 2008)
2005 – 2006
“Spending on Children in Northern Ireland”, Northern Ireland
Commissioner for Children and Young People.
2006 – 2009
“Poverty and Inequality in Britain: 2006” and “Poverty and Inequality in
Britain: 2007-2009”, Nuffield Foundation (co-proposer with A. Goodman)
2006
“Public Policy and Fertility”, ESRC (co-I), RES-163-25-0018
2008
“Understanding the compliance costs of benefits and tax credits”, Nuffield
Foundation (co-proposer with Fran Bennett)
2008 – 2009
“The living standards of families reporting very low incomes”, Child
Poverty Unit
2008 – 2010
“Feasibility Study for an Impact Assessment of the Lone Parent
Obligations and related policies”, DWP
2009
“Accounting for Changes in Inequality in the UK”, National Equality Panel
2010 – 2012
“A lifetime perspective on the distributional and incentive effects of the tax
system”, co-I, ESRC
2010 – 2012
“Forecasting poverty in 2015 and 2020”, JRF
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2011 – 2013
2011 - 2014
2012 – 2013
2012 – 2013
2012 – 2014
“Understanding the Mechanisms of In-Work Benefits” , Nuffield
Foundation
Director (2011-2012) “Programme Evaluation for Policy Analysis”, an
Node of the National Centre for Research Methods, ESRC
“Partnership dissolution and formation”, Nuffield Foundation
“Lone Parent Obligations: an impact assessment”, Department for Work
and Pensions
Director, “Research Centre on Micro-Social Change” (MiSoC), ESRC
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
(2013), “The short- and medium-term impacts of the recession on the UK income
distribution”, Fiscal Studies, 34(2). 179-201 (with Browne, J., Hood, A., Joyce, R. and
Sibieta, L.)
(2013) “How taxes and welfare distort work incentives: static lifecycle and dynamic
perspectives”, IFS Working Paper 13/01 (with Monica Costa Dias and Jonathan Shaw)
(2012) “Measuring living standards with income and consumption: evidence from the
UK”, IFS Working Paper 12/12 (with Cormac O’Dea)
(2012), “Accounting for changes in income inequality: decomposition analyses for Great
Britain, 1968-2009”, ISER Working Paper Series 2012-17 (with L. Wren-Lewis).
(2012) “Universal Credit: A Preliminary Analysis of Its Impact on Incomes and Work
Incentives”, Fiscal Studies, 33(1), 39-71 (with Browne, J. and Jin, W.)
(2012) “Does welfare reform affect fertility? Evidence from the UK”, Journal of
Population Economics, 25(1), pp245-266. (with Ratcliffe, A. and Smith, S.)
(2010) “Means-testing and tax rates on earnings” in Dimensions of Tax Design: the
Mirrlees Review, OUP (with A. Shephard & E. Saez).
(2009) "Optimal Income Taxation of Lone Mothers: An Empirical Comparison of the UK
and Germany" (with R. Blundell, P. Haan and A. Shephard), Economic Journal, 119, pp
F101-F121
(2008) “Job changes, hours changes and the path of labour supply adjustment”, Journal
of Labour Economics, 26(3), pp421-453 (with R. Blundell & M. Francesconi)
(2003) “What really happened to child poverty in the UK under Labour’s first term?” (with
T. Clark & A. Goodman), Economic Journal, 113(June), F240-F257.
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