Profile

Sarah Najm is a NUAcT Fellow in Economics of Creative Industries at Newcastle University Business School, where she explores the social value of the arts and wellbeing in lower-income households. Her broader research interests include sustainability issues and the role of institutions in generating inequalities.

Sarah holds an MSc in Economics from the University of York, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Reading where she is a Visiting Fellow leading a study on inequality beliefs. Her background and publication pipeline employ global and cross-country analysis to better understand the role of institutions in shaping environmental outcomes, which broadly draw on the political economy of institutions in relation to sustainability.

PhD student supervision

I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students in Economics, with current PhD co-supervision in the area of Economics of Wellbeing and Social Norms.

I welcome proposals from prospective PhD students in the following broad areas: Wellbeing; Inequalities and Social Policy; Sustainability and Environmental Economics; Cultural and Creative Industries.

• Articles

  • Najm S, Alonazi W, Alsubaie A, Alhabeeb A, Altwaijri Y. Wealth and Mental Health in Saudi Arabia. 2025. In Preparation.
  • Cardinale R, Najm S. Institutional Investors and Stringent Climate Policies. 2025. In Preparation.
  • Bosworth S, Della Guista M, Najm S. Inequality Beliefs. 2025. Submitted.
  • Najm S, Jewell S. Arts and Well-being in the UK. 2025. In Preparation.
  • Najm S, Matsumoto K. Does Renewable Energy Substitute LNG International Trade in the Energy Transition?. Energy Economics 2020.
  • Najm S. The Green Paradox and Budgetary Institutions. Energy Policy 2019.

• Book Chapter

  • Tsani S, Najm S. Green Policies and Sustainable Development in Saudi Arabia. In: Tsani, S; Overland, I, ed. The Handbook of Sustainable Politics and Economics of Natural Resources. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021, pp.123-134.