Paul Gavin Johnson CBE (born 5 January 1967) is a British economist, currently serving as director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. He is also a columnist for The Times, and a visiting professor in Economics at the Department of Economics, University College London. He is author of the best selling book “Follow the Money” and a frequent contributor to written and broadcast media.
Paul Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 January 1967 |
| Nationality | British |
| Academic career | |
| Field | Public economics Microeconomics |
| Institutions | Institute for Fiscal Studies University College London |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford Birkbeck, University of London |
Early life and education
editThe son of Robert and Joy Johnson,[1] he was educated at Kings Manor School, Shoreham-by-Sea, then at Keble College, Oxford, where he held a college scholarship and gained a First in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, and finally at Birkbeck College, London, where he graduated with an MSc in Economics.[1][2]
Career
editJohnson's first job was at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, where he remained from 1988 to 1998, in the last two years serving as a deputy director.[1]
From September 1998 to January 1999 he was an advisor on pensions and welfare reform in the Cabinet Office.[2] He was also head of Economies of Financial Regulation at the Financial Services Authority, 1998–2000, before being appointed as chief economist and director of analytical services to the Department for Education and Employment, soon renamed as the Department for Education and Skills, remaining until 2004. That year he went to HM Treasury as Director of Public Services and Chief Micro-Economist, continuing in post until 2007. He was also deputy head of the Government Economic Service from 2005 to 2007.[1][3]
Between 2007 and 2010 he was a senior associate at Frontier Economics. In 2011 was appointed as director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.[1][3]
Johnson was a member of the Economic and Social Research Council from 2002 to 2007[2] and a member of the Committee on Climate Change from 2012 to 2023.
He has carried out reviews of automatic enrolment for the government, inflation measurement for the UK Statistics Authority and of tax devolution for the Northern Ireland Executive.
On 17 October 2024, his pre-election as provost of The Queen's College, Oxford was announced. He is due to succeed Claire Craig as provost in August 2025. [4]
Recognition
editIn the 2018 Queen's birthday honours list, Johnson was appointed a CBE for services to the social sciences and economics.[5] He was also elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2018.[6] He holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Exeter, York and Sussex and from University College London. He is an honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford.
Personal life
editJohnson has four sons with economist Lorraine Dearden.[1][7] They were divorced in 2021 and he now lives with his new partner Nicola Wilberforce, a teacher, in Highgate.[2]
Selected publications
edit- Inequality in the UK (with A), 1996
- Pension Systems and Retirement Incomes Across OECD Countries (contributor), 2001
- Tax by Design: the Mirrless review (editor), 2011
- Follow the Money: How Much Does Britain Cost? (author), Abacus Books, 2023
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e f 'Johnson, Paul Gavin', in Who's Who 2015 (London: A. & C. Black, 2015)
- ^ a b c d "Curriculum Vitae Paul Gavin JOHNSON" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-19.
- ^ a b "Announcement Paul Johnson appointed to Committee on Climate Change". 2012-08-09.
- ^ https://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/news/queens-announces-pre-election-of-next-provost/
- ^ "Paul Johnson: Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies". 2020-04-06.
- ^ "Fifty-eight leading social scientists conferred as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences". 2018-04-05. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15.
- ^ "Citizenship mix-up leaves sons divided". 2003-03-01.