Economics offers a lens for understanding the forces that shape prosperity, opportunity and everyday life.
At Oxford's Department of Economics, we use rigorous theory and empirical analysis to understand how economies work, why outcomes differ and how decisions can improve them.
Oxford has a long tradition of advancing economic thought. From the ideas of Francis Edgeworth more than a century ago to the research being undertaken today, our scholars have helped shape how economics is understood and applied.
Building on this heritage, our researchers ask important questions, develop new methods and work collaboratively across and beyond the discipline. Together, they contribute to research that advances economic understanding and informs decisions around the world.
How do incentives, information and institutions shape decisions?
Applied microeconomics uses theory, administrative and survey data, experiments and other empirical methods to study choices made by people, households, firms and public institutions.
Where do standard economic models explain behaviour - and where must they change?
Behavioural economics combines economic theory with evidence from experiments, field studies and observed decisions. It examines attention, beliefs, preferences, social influences and the ways context changes choice.
Why do some people and places prosper while others are held back?
Development economists study growth, poverty, institutions, firms, labour markets, health, education, conflict and public policy. Their work connects economic theory with evidence from households, organisations and governments across different settings.
What can economic data tell us - and how certain can we be?
Econometrics develops the methods economists use to learn from data. Researchers study identification, estimation, prediction and inference, and apply those tools to questions across economics.
How has the past shaped the economies we live in today?
Researchers study how economies, institutions and societies have evolved over time, examining the historical roots of economic growth, inequality, trade and development. The work explores how past events, policies and technological change continue to shape economic outcomes today.
How do natural resources shape economic growth and development?
Researchers study the economic challenges and opportunities facing resource-rich economies, with a focus on public finance, international trade and development. The work examines how natural resource wealth, government policies and global markets influence economic stability, growth and long-term prosperity.
How can economics and machine learning improve one another?
Researchers combine economic reasoning with machine-learning methods to study prediction, causality, market design and decision-making. The work also examines how algorithmic systems affect people, firms and institutions.
How do economies respond to global challenges and change?
Researchers study economic growth, inflation, employment, monetary and fiscal policy, and the connections between economies. The work examines how economic shocks, government decisions and global developments shape economic stability, prosperity and long-term growth.
How do individuals, businesses and markets make decisions?
Researchers study how individuals and firms make choices, interact and respond to incentives. The work explores how markets function, how resources are allocated and how competition, information and strategic behaviour shape economic outcomes.
Researchers study the relationship between political institutions, government decisions and economic outcomes. The work examines how power, incentives, public policy and political processes influence economic behaviour, the distribution of resources and the functioning of societies.
Why does economic activity concentrate in some places and connect across others?
Researchers examine trade, supply chains, firms, migration, cities and regional development. The field studies how distance, borders, infrastructure and policy shape where activity happens and how gains and costs are distributed.
CSAE has been researching economic and social development in Africa since 1986. These days, a large team of development economists research not only countries in Africa, but also countries in other developing areas of the world.
Centre for Research on Structural Transformation and Growth (CROSTAG)
The Virtual Research Centre promotes research related to structural transformation and growth, with a preference for work focused on developing countries.
The Centre for Quantitative Diversity Studies is an interdisciplinary research centre within the Department of Economics, University of Oxford, and aims to unite scholars from diverse fields to collaborate on quantitative investigations into aspects of diversity. Through its work, the Centre seeks to foster innovative approaches and insights that uncover the complexities of diversity through rigorous quantitative analysis.
The Centre for Research on Outreach and Access is a research initiative based in the Department of Economics at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with Lady Margaret Hall. Our work focuses on advancing rigorous, data-driven understanding of access to higher education, particularly at selective institutions like Oxford, and how outreach initiatives and financial support can shape the lives of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Oxford's economists aim to inform and improve the development and implementation of economic and public policy in the UK and around the world. We do this by producing innovative research that extends the frontiers of the discipline and deepens our understanding of the operation of modern economies.
