Department News

Season’s Greetings from the Department of Economics

Click hereLink opens in a new window to read a seasonal message from our Head of Department.

High student satisfaction reported in Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2022

The Department of Economics is pleased to announce that we have achieved excellent results in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2022, with the overall satisfaction amongst the postgraduate taught cohort of 92% with 99% of respondents saying that they would recommend the University of Warwick to other students. Click here to get to know what the top satisfaction scores wereLink opens in a new window.

Brexit has added £210 to average grocery bills, new study finds

New research co-authored by Dr Nikhil DattaLink opens in a new window of Warwick Economics, CAGE and the LSE hit the headlines last week with its key finding that leaving the European Union has added an average of £210 to Britain’s household food bills over the two years to the end of 2021 – a cost felt more deeply by lower-income households, which spend a greater share of their income on food than the better-off. Find out more about the studyLink opens in a new window.

New research: The cost of species extinction – Evidence from the collapse of vultures in India

A new paper from Dr Anant SudarshanLink opens in a new window, co-authored with Dr Eyal Frank of the University of Chicago, studies the impact on human well-being of the sudden collapse of vultures in India and makes an important contribution to our understanding of the cost of biodiversity losses. Read the full articleLink opens in a new window.

Run/Walk With 'Santa and His Elves' and Raise Money To Support Local Foodbanks

With the current cost of living crisis, we would like to appreciate your support in helping us to raise money or food for our local foodbank (Canley Foodbank). We are organising a Run/Jog/Walk with Santa and his Elves - People can dress up as Santa or an Elf or wear a Christmas jumper or their running/jogging/walking outfits. Those taking part or those interested in sponsoring can donate a minimum of £2 or bring in food that can be donated to the foodbank ahead of Christmas. You can bring in cash on the day or transfer money to the account below:

Account Holder Name: Tina MacSkimming
Account no: 00598313
Sort Code: 56-00-45

Meet us outside the Economics department on the following day/time and we will use the free running route around campus 3.3k Scarman Road & LakesideLink opens in a new window. Please let us know if you plan to join in the run as it will be good to have an idea on numbers.

Leave a holiday message

There are some festive tags in the foyer area downstairs if any staff/students want to write a holiday message to hang on the tree.

Save the Dates – Undergraduate Open Days 2023

Please save the following dates in your diary for our Undergraduate Open Days in 2023. Staff involvement at these events are highly appreciated by prospective students. We will be calling for academic and PSS staff participation closer to each date.

• Saturday 13 May 2023 (Offer Holders Only)
• Saturday 17 June 2023
• Saturday 24 June 2023
• Saturday 7 October 2023
• Saturday 21 October 2023

*Are you interested in promoting your research at an Open Day?
We require members of academic staff to deliver mini taster lectures during our June and October events. If you are interested in promoting your research to large prospective student audiences, please contact Charlotte (charlotte.doughty@warwick.ac.uk) to express your interest.

Walk with colleagues

Join us for a short 20 minute walk - Monday to Friday at 12.00pm. If you are in the Department and fancy a breath of fresh air during an early lunch break, come for a walk and a chat along the way. Be at Colin’s office (S2.130) by 12.00pm.

Departmental HR Update

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Health and Wellbeing

Good health and wellbeing is paramount for staff at all times. The University offers a range of remote sessions dedicated to improving our wellbeing. We encourage as many of you as possible to explore any one of these opportunities.

Report and Support

Since its introduction, the University Report and Support scheme has been utilised by staff and students to report incidences of bullying/harassment, sexual misconduct, hate crime and discrimination. The University has analysed have produced the first Annual Report which shows that there has been significant use of the system by students and a smaller number of staff since the introduction of the scheme.

Conference Support Award

The University has reinstated the Conference Support Award Scheme. The Conference/Training Support Award scheme provides up to £200 to help cover the additional caring costs that individuals incur in order to attend a conference/training session or similar event. Details of the scheme and application form are available here. Applications should be forwarded to Sarah Duggan – Head of Administration, Business and Research in the first instance.

Should you have any queries regarding the scheme, please contact the departmental HR Officer.

Publications, Presentations & Workshops

Thiemo Fetzer wrote an op-ed for ByLine times about his work on energy efficiencyLink opens in a new window.

Andrew Oswald gave a talk at City University to senior UK doctors on the topic "Happiness, Health and the Midlife Crisis". A personal note from Andrew: Any Warwick colleagues who have friends or family members who are approaching late-40s may wish to be aware that those years are the peak years for suicide risk and clinical-depression risk in our country.

Andrew Oswald published a non-technical article in the Times Higher on the future of the behavioural sciences after the pandemic.

Andrew Oswald's VoxEU article 'The puzzle of the midlife crisis amid affluence'Link opens in a new window has been released.

Omer Moav had a rant on Twitter about the editorial/refereeing process in economicLink opens in a new windows, If you are not on Twitter, you can read it hereLink opens in a new window.

Arun Advani writes for the Guardian with his opinion on the Autumn Statement "Timid Jeremy Hunt fails to reform how rich are taxed"Link opens in a new window.

Working Papers

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Ben Lockwood's and Michela Redoano's working paper (with Francesco Porcelli and Antonio Schiavone) Yardstick Competition in the Digital Age : Unveiling New Networks in Tax CompetitionLink opens in a new window has been released.

Thiemo Fetzer's and Ludovica Gazze's working paper (with Menna Bishop) How large is the energy savings potential in the UK?Link opens in a new window has been released.

Fatih Konsoy's working paper FOMC Minutes: As a Source of Central Bank Communication SurpriseLink opens in a new window has been released.

Lory Barile's working paper (with John Cullis and Phillip Jones Ain't that a Shame: False Tax Declarations and Fraudulent Benefit ClaimsLink opens in a new window has been released.

Media Coverage

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"Which is Worse: Inflation or Unemployment?"Link opens in a new window - Andrew Oswald research mentioned - The Big Picture - 21 November 2022.

"The ads in today’s media negatively impact the happiness of consumers"Link opens in a new window - Andrew Oswald research mentioned - The Central Trend - 23 November 2022.

"One of us is a millionaire, the other a care worker. The cruel divide between rich and poor disgusts us both"Link opens in a new window - Arun Advani research mentioned - The Guardian - 1 December 2022.

"Smart meter monitoring can help conserve water - but not without a fight, researchers find"Link opens in a new window - Ludovica Gazze quoted - The Hill - 30 November 2022.

"Brexit added nearly £6bn to UK food bills in two years, research finds"Link opens in a new window - Nikhil Datta quoted - The Guardian - 1 December 2022.

"Brexit has added more than £200 to UK household food bills, study finds"Link opens in a new window - Nikhil Datta research mentioned - The Independent - 2 December 2022.

Dates For Your Diary

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