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Research programmes

The Centre studies the factors that affect the economic performance of individuals, firms, communities and nations. We seek to understand how to increase productivity and wellbeing, reduce inequality, and improve policy making.

Labour

The Labour programme investigates wages, non-wage benefits, self-employment, immigration, diversity, childcare, workplace conditions and inactivity, in order to understand how labour markets shape inequality, productivity and worker wellbeing. Read more...

Education

The Education programme investigates how schools, further and higher education influence pupil achievement, teacher recruitment and retention, equality, social mobility, and the role of new technologies like AI in reducing educational inequalities, using detailed data to inform policy and practice. Read more...

Wellbeing

The Wellbeing programme examines how mental health, pro-social behaviour, public health initiatives and intergenerational factors affect personal wellbeing, employment and social outcomes, while developing models to inform effective policy. Read more...

Growth

The Growth programme examines productivity trends, business dynamism, industrial policy, skills and technology adoption, and the financial and regional factors that influence sustainable economic growth in the UK. Read more...

Green Transition

The Green Transition programme analyses how innovation, investment and policy can drive the UK's shift to a net zero and sustainable economy. Researchers will study clean technologies, green supply chains, household decarbonisation, waste management, and the economic impacts of climate change. Read more...

Neighbourhoods

The Neighbourhoods programme studies how local amenities, housing supply, policing, community interactions and urban development shape economic performance, inequality and liveability in both the UK and developing countries. Read more...

Urban

The Urban programme investigates how transport infrastructure, historical legacies, spatial disparities and urban inequalities influence the development, performance and resilience of cities and regions. Read more...

Trade

The Trade programme analyses global and domestic production networks, trade shocks, industrial policy, Brexit impacts, and the role of services, to understand how trade shapes firm performance, innovation and the wider UK economy. Read more...