Research and impact

Photograph of Leeds skyline

Our research is pluralistic, interdisciplinary and policy-relevant. We address directly key societal challenges and promote a wide range of perspectives both in theory and in method. We demonstrate a high capability for interdisciplinary research, as well as disciplinary research.  

Our research is organised around four broad themes. These are diverse and cross-cutting:  

  • Incorporating multiple perspectives in economics and reflecting the distinctive pluralistic tradition of the Department 
  • Operating at multiple scales: cities, regions, nations and the globe   
  • Using multiple methods: qualitative (semi-structured interviews; ethnographic methods), quantitative (applied econometrics; survey methods) and mixed (realist) 
  • Engaging multiple disciplines both in the social sciences and STEM  
  • Recognising the importance of institutions, history, and political economy as well as individuals 
  • Conducting impactful research that can positively inform policy and practice in line with the Faculty’s mission to make a positive difference in society 

Research themes

Labour, Wellbeing and Behavioural Economics 

Behavioural economics and policy; subjective wellbeing; health; labour supply; personnel economics; job quality; gender; poverty; education; social norms; causal inference; distributional analysis 

Macro-Finance 

Macroeconomics, monetary economics, open-economy macroeconomics and international finance; financialisation; central banking; currency hierarchies; inequality; financial instability; structural change 

Development, Trade, and the Environment 

Macro-development (emerging markets, capital flows, financial risks, real exchange rate policies); micro-development (gender, poverty, inequality, human development, mobility); international trade (globalisation, international firm, global value chain analysis); environment (energy economics, ecological economics); regional economics (regional development, regional disparity, city dynamics) 

Pedagogy and Research led Teaching 

Curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment in economics education, student recruitment and transition.