Henry Parkes

Principal economist and head of quantitative research

Henry is a principal economist & head of quantitative research at IPPR.

He also provides support to the work of the wider institute, particularly on social security and leads on the IPPR tax-benefit model.

At IPPR, Henry has worked on a range of topics spanning labour markets, the benefit system, taxation and industrial strategy. He specialises in quantitative methods and has experience in a range of analytical techniques including forecasting, policy costing, regression analysis and microsimulation modelling. He has also led qualitative research.

Henry has written about economic policy for the Independent, New Statesman and Left Foot Forward.

Prior to joining IPPR in 2019, Henry was an economic advisor in the Government Economic Service. He holds a first-class BSc in economics from the University of Nottingham.

More from this author:

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  1. A mother comforts her sone while looking out of a window

    Getting the child poverty strategy we need: A co-produced agenda for change

    The UK government has a time-limited opportunity to make a decisive difference to child poverty in its upcoming strategy. 

  2. IPPR research on the impact of the two-child benefit limit on Channel 4 News

  3. A young boy and girl entering the front door of a house, smiling. Their father carries a baby behind them

    The homes that children deserve: Housing policy to support families

    As the government seeks to develop a new child poverty strategy, it will need to grapple with housing – the single largest cost faced by families.

  4. Henry Parkes on Sky News discussing government welfare reforms

  5. Downing Street sign with Westminster in background

    Bookkeepers or changemakers? Understanding the chancellor’s choices ahead of the budget

    The Labour party won the last election by ‘de-risking’ a Labour vote on key economic policy agendas. At the heart of this was a strategy to regain Labour’s reputation for economic competence.

  6. Breaking the cycle: Essential pillars for an effective child poverty strategy

    The government has committed to a child poverty strategy, complete with a task force, due to report in the spring.