We are an interdisciplinary research community and conduct research on different topics in economics and finance.

Key themes

Labour, Health and Education Economics

Members work primarily in empirical and theoretical microeconomics. Our research areas include links between the labour market and other outcomes such as marriage or political attitudes, search theory, discrimination, and inequality in the labour market and beyond.  

Spatial, Urban, Regional, International and Industrial Economics

We focus our research on the behaviour of households, firms, and local governments, often with a spatial dimension. Current research includes work on firm strategy and market structure, economic integration, the location of foreign direct investment, innovation and R&D, urban structures and spatial spill-overs, the housing market, the airline industry, and online markets.

Economics of Safety, Health, Environment and Risk

Our research develops the theoretical and empirical understanding of the economic value of the risks to human life across a range of public services, especially transport, environment and health.

The academic focus is the methodological improvement and estimation of the value of reducing mortality and morbidity risks (Value of a Statistical Life [VSL]; Value of a Statistical Injury [VSI]) and improvements in life expectancy (Value of A Life Year [VOLY]).

Current research includes:

• altruism in three-generation families (National Science Centre, Poland), a scoping study for the monetary value of a VOLY (HSE)
• individual and social preferences over public goods (Lomas PhD)
• the impact of salience on risky choices (School Research Fund) and environmental risk valuation in New Zealand

Our expertise in this area has led to group members’ research dominating the terms of UK policy discussion in areas in which safety is a central concern, particularly through its inclusion in the HM Treasury Green Book.

Behavioural and Experimental Economics

Research within this theme is led by the Behavioural and Experimental Northeast Cluster (BENC), a joint initiative between Newcastle University Business School and Durham University Business School.

BENC is a research cluster that promotes and facilitates experimental and behavioural research.

Finance, Financial Economics and Financial Econometrics

This theme encompasses a range of applied and theoretical subtopics including:

• bank regulation and financial stability
• econometric techniques for detecting asset price bubbles
• modelling financial markets and contagion effects
• modelling and forecasting asset price volatility

Previous research undertaken has direct practical relevance for financial institutions such as investment banks and central banks, and for the wider economy.

Applied Time Series Econometrics

Research within this theme focuses on developing improved econometric methods for modelling and forecasting economic time series.

Projects undertaken typically involve a theoretical contribution as well as a simulation analysis of the proposed methodology and an empirical application.

Current research interests include:

• Bayesian modelling
• big data analytics
• forecast evaluation techniques
• modelling commodity prices
• nonparametric modelling
• unit root and stationarity testing
• spurious regression
• testing for nonlinearity in economic time series

Previous research undertaken has relevance for international organisations such as UN agencies.

Macroeconomics, Policies and Institutions in Open Economic Systems

Our members research all areas of macroeconomics and, in particular:

• macroeconomic modelling
• applied macroeconomics
• applied macroeconometrics
• modelling of microeconomic behaviour with macroeconomic implications
• the origin and functioning of national and international institutions
• the sources of economic fluctuations and the deep roots of growth and development
• the development of national strategies for growth
• the design and implementation of fiscal and monetary policies in the economy and an interconnected world
• the development and functioning of the global economy
• the process of (dis)integration of countries and regions in the international economy

Through our research we aim to connect with national and international policymakers to inform the research agenda and develop research with impact.

We contribute to the Business School mission by promoting research that can help to understand the future of work in globally connected economies and inform the decision-making process of private and public leaders.

Subject Group Head

Research and Impact Lead

Research and Impact Lead

Research Community Lead

Community Members