Caroline Bentham

Profile

Caroline is a PhD Economics candidate funded by a Stell scholarship for research in social and political sciences. She previously spent several years working in economic policy, including roles at the Bank of England, Ernst and Young, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and ending as an Assistant Director at the Department for Business (BEIS), before returning to academia. See her full profile on LinkedIn. Caroline also supports the Economics divison as a freelance Research Associate.

Caroline’s public writings to date include:

Has the Bank of England found a magic money tree? The Women’s Budget Group

Direct cash transfers to households: the Bank of England’s response to COVID-19 and the end of orthodoxy LSE Economy and Society Blog

Is there such a thing as a good or bad recession? BBC Futures interview

What's in a name? Why the "woman economist" label needs to be retired. King’s College London, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.

 

Research interests

Caroline’s PhD project brings together economic and sociological views on macroeconomic policy. Her focus topic is Quantitative Easing and other uses of central bank balance sheets in developed economies, as a lens on issues in macroeconomics, central banking, wellbeing economics and social inequalitites. Central bank balance sheet policy tool objectives and designs include systemic liquidity management, financial stability, central bank digitial currencies, historic loans to government/businesses/municipalities, theory of transfers to individuals/households/the real economy etc.

Caroline is also part of the Bauman Institute for Critical Sociology. Her wider interests include feminist economics, economics communication and the interface btween academia and policy makers.

Qualifications

• MA Social and Public Policy, University of Leeds 2018-19, Postgraduate Excellence Scholarship
• MSc Finance (Financial Economics and Policy), SOAS University of London, 2016-18
• MPhil Theoretical Linguistics, University of Cambridge, Jesus College Scholarship, 2012-13
• BA (Hons) Linguistics, University of Leeds, 2009-2012.