About the Department of Economics

The Department of Economics in the Manor Road Building.

Oxford’s department of Economics is one of Europe’s leading research departments and its members include some of the world’s most distinguished academic economists whose research has made major contributions to modern economic analysis. Six Nobel prize winners in Economics – Sir John Hicks, Lawrence Klein, Sir James Meade, Sir James Mirrlees, Amartya Sen and Joe Stiglitz – are former members of the department and the current faculty includes 14 Fellows of the British Academy and 13 Fellows of the Econometric Society. The department is home to the worlds’ leading research centre for the study of African economies (CSAE), and to the Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource-Rich Economies.

The Department is committed to excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level. Since its introduction in 1920, Philosophy, Politics and Economics has established an unrivalled reputation as the degree programme for able young people seeking careers in politics and public life. PPE graduates have achieved prominence across all spheres of public life: Politicians [Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper, David Miliband, Ed Miliband, David Cameron, William Hague]; defying military regimes [Aung Sang Suu Kyi]; deciding on interest rates [Marian Bell, Tim Besley]; expressing opinions [Tariq Ali, Evan Davis]; running the media [Rupert Murdoch]; writing verse and prose [Dennis Potter, Vikram Seth]; playing cricket [Imran Khan].

At the postgraduate level, the Department’s MPhil and DPhil programmes are internationally recognized for the excellence of the training and scholarship provided. Our graduates have progressed to positions of leadership in academia and in the private and public sector: for example Mark Carney, Governor of the Central Bank of Canada; Martin Feldstein, Professor of Economics at Harvard University and President of the National Bureau of Economic Research; Sir Gus O’Donnell, UK Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service; Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, Sir Nicholas Stern FBA, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at the LSE and advisor to the UK government on Climate Change.

The Department is seeking funding for the following priorities.

Scholarships for Postgraduate Students.

It is the Department’s ambition to provide all outstanding young scholars who apply with the financial support necessary for them to complete their doctoral studies at Oxford. A postgraduate student requires £25,000 per year for fees and maintenance, and all contributions to our Doctoral Scholarship Scheme, of whatever magnitude, are warmly appreciated.

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships.

The Department’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme offers the next generation of academic economists an opportunity to establish their careers within a first class research institution, with mentoring and support from eminent scholars in their chosen field. Many of our Postdoctoral Fellows have progressed to permanent positions in top-ranked economics departments across the world including Cambridge, Harvard, LSE and Stockholm.

Endowment of Senior Positions.

If we are to maintain Oxford’s position at the forefront of economics research and provide research leadership for the next generation of economists then it is essential that we recruit and retain senior faculty of the highest calibre. Financial support for senior appointments plays a vital role in enabling Oxford to compete in a challenging global market, and we ask anyone who is interested in assisting to contact Lara Stanley at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

If you would like to support the work of the Department please see this web page