CAGE Summer School returns to build the next generation of economic researchers

CAGE Summer School returns to build the next generation of economic researchers

Back for its second year, the CAGE Summer School once again brought together aspiring economists for three days of intensive, hands-on research training.

Held from 7th to 9th July at the University of Warwick, this year’s programme welcomed thirty-five undergraduate students from universities across the UK and Europe. The focus was on equipping participants with practical skills often underemphasised in traditional economics degrees – especially around working with real-world data, coding, and applied research methods.

Students from institutions including LSE, UCL, Bath, Birmingham, Exeter, Newcastle, Strathclyde, Warwick, and Bonn engaged in a packed schedule of seminars and workshops aimed at bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world research.

The programme opened with Arthur Turrell, Economist at the Bank of England, who led a session on “Coding for Economists” that gave students a clear view of how coding underpins modern economic research and why it’s becoming an essential skill for any data-driven discipline.

CAGE Director and Professor of Economics Mirko Draca then introduced students to microdata workflows and how to navigate the complexities of working with messy, real-life datasets. Other sessions included a hands-on introduction to geographic data by Eric Melander and an overview of cloud computing for large datasets delivered by researcher at LSE/CAGE Peter John Lambert.

One of the core elements of the programme was a detailed guide on how to use Python as a tool in economic research. Students came with a variety of knowledge of the program, from complete beginners to those with prior coding experience, but all left with a stronger grasp of how to apply it in practical, research-driven contexts – building confidence in using Python to clean data, run analyses, and support economic investigations.

On the final day, the spotlight turned to AI and historical research, with Peter John Lambert demonstrating how large language models can support research workflows and Eric Melander introducing students to techniques for digitising and analysing historical maps and documents.

The CAGE Summer School remains a flagship initiative. With its continued evolution and expansion, the programme is expected to return in 2026, providing another opportunity for students to gain a foothold in applied economics.

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Mirko Draca, Professor of Economics and Director of CAGE, said:

“The Summer School continues to be an incredibly important part of CAGE’s remit. Each year, we see students arrive with strong academic foundations – but they still lack exposure to the tools and workflows that researchers rely on every day. What has been so great about doing this for the second year is that we have been able to build, refine, and adapt the course so we can match the needs of this year’s students. The technology we teach is constantly evolving.”

Eric Melander, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Birmingham, said:

“It was a real pleasure to again be part of this summer school. This is a unique initiative that equips students with cutting-edge tools and techniques that they can then go on to apply across a wide range of projects and careers.”

Peter John Lambert, Researcher at LSE/CAGE, said:

“Teaching undergraduate students about research methods is a huge pleasure, especially at this juncture where the tools and methods have expanded so much due to AI/LLMs. CAGE Summer School gives me a chance to reflect on the skills I wish someone had spent time sharing with me as an undergraduate, including frontier technologies as well as the basic logic of approaching empirical analysis from start to finish.”

Anthony Kalu, student at the London Interdisciplinary School, said:

“As a student at London Interdisciplinary School, I see immense value in these kinds of practical, interdisciplinary experiences. In fields like economic data analysis and economics more broadly, there is a growing expectation that professionals can not only interpret complex data but also apply it in real-world contexts. These skills answer a key question in education today: How do we prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist? We do it by giving them adaptable, transferable tools—critical thinking, data literacy, and hands-on experience—that can be applied across industries and sectors. That’s what makes this course so relevant and impactful.”