CEPS/School of Economics Coronavirus Research Hub
The Coronavirus Research Hub brings together our academic community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. It features research and policy recommendations to tackle the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19 on societies and economies across the world. It also includes commentary and analysis pieces intended to help students and non-specialists use insights from economics to make sense of the current crisis.
Research Expertise
CEPS researchers are studying a breadth topics and themes in relation to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Data
Dr Sokullu’s research interests are in Econometrics, Nonparametric Econometrics and Empirical Industrial Organisation. Her research interests regarding Covid-19 are in Econometric and Statistical Methods, Digital Markets / Platforms and the Air transport industry.
Education
Alvin Birdi is Professor of Economics Education in the School of Economics. He is also the University of Bristol’s Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor (Undergraduate) and the Director of The Economics Network, a national body that trains lecturers and promotes high quality and innovative teaching practice in Economics within the Higher Education sector. He is also the director of the Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT) that was launched in June 2017. His research interests regarding Covid-19 relates to the effect of the pandemic on university education.
Professor Burgess’s current research interests are in the economics of education, including the importance of teachers, pupils and schools, market structure in education, incentives, and choice. He has also worked on the performance of ethnic minorities in schools and ethnic segregation. Previously he worked on labour economics more generally, including: an economic model of poverty dynamics, empirical models of incentives in organisations, the role of markets in education and health, unemployment and gross job and worker flows.
Dr Proud is Director of Undergraduate Studies. His research considers the economics of education. His main areas of interest include the effect of a child’s peer group on their academic outcomes and the stability of school quality measures in school league tables. His research interests regarding Covid-19 relates to the effect of the pandemic on university education.
An applied labour economist, Dr Sievertsen is especially interested in the economics of education and early investments. He uses data to study inequality and how external factors affect child development. His research interests regarding Covid-19 relates to learning loss and assessments.
Environment
Professor Simpson’s research covers urban economics and the effects of place-based policies, productivity, innovation and foreign direct investment. Her research interests with regard to Covid 19 cover effects on local economies and the government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda.
Welfare
Professor Abraham’s research focuses on Distributional Impact of Tax and Transfer Policies; Insurance vs. Incentives when Designing Social Insurance Policies; Personal, Corporate or Sovereign Bankruptcy in Economic Crises; Supranational Institutions of Risk Sharing.
Dr Patrick Arni’s research focuses on applied microeconometrics, labour economics and the evaluation of public policies. In his work he exploits and combines a variety data sources -from administrative registers, surveys, internet etc- and applies field experiments where possible. His research interests regarding Covid-19 relate to its impact on labour market participants and on related policies.
Professor Cannon’s research is predominantly in applied economics on the boundaries between microeconomics and macroeconomics. He has published research on long-run economic development, regional growth rates and money illusion. Currently he has two main areas of research: (i) historical grain markets and the causes and consequences of more efficient and integrated markets; (ii) pensions, particularly the annuity market, and other types of insurance.
Professor Costa-Dias is a labour economist and applied econometrician working on the formation of inequalities over the course of life, their transmission across generations and the role of public policy in attenuating the pervasive and long-lasting consequences of poverty. In relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, she is studying how the economic lockdowns are interacting with existing inequalities in employment, pay, learning and health, and how policy can address some of these. She looks at various dimensions of inequality, such as gender, geography and race. She is also investigating how the pandemic is changing job opportunities, and the consequences this may have for the employment, pay and progression of workers with different skills and at different stages of their careers.
Professor Davies is the first Professor in the Public Understanding of Economics in the UK. His research interests regarding Covid-19 relate to inflation, growth, productivity, unemployment, employment, wages.
Dr Siddique’s research activity focuses on Micro-econometrics, Labour Economics and Development Economics. Her research interests regarding Covid-19 relates to Labour and Development Economics, Domestic violence and lockdown.
An applied labour economist, Dr Sievertsen is especially interested in the economics of education and early investments. He uses data to study inequality and how external factors affect child development. His research interests regarding Covid-19 relates to learning loss and assessments.
Professor Smith is Head of School. Her research interests are in applied micro – specifically consumer behaviour and public economics. She has worked on pensions, saving and retirement and welfare policy; her main focus now is the economics of not-for-profit organisations. Her research interests regarding Covid-19 relate to charities and gender.
Dr Spittal’s interests are in applied microeconometrics in relation to Labour Economics and Public Economics. He has been working on inequalities in the impact of Covid-19 on people’s work and income, and how this may in turn affect some individuals’ ability to meet their spending requirements. He is presently examining how well-suited currently available vacancies are to workers who have been laid off (or at risk of being laid off) as a result of Covid-19.