The Economics of Education Research Centre (EERC) organises its work around four thematic research strands, each addressing key questions about the role of education in the economy and society. Across all strands, we draw on administrative data, survey data, and rigorous empirical methods to produce evidence that is both academically robust and directly relevant to policy.
Research themes
1. Returns to education and skills
What are the economic returns to different qualifications and educational routes? How do these vary across individuals, institutions, and regions? The EERC uses linked administrative data to trace outcomes from education into the labour market, providing evidence on the value of different types and levels of education for individuals and for the wider economy.
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2. Educational inequality and social mobility
How does education both reflect and shape inequalities in society? This strand examines gaps in attainment, participation, and outcomes by socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender, and geography. It considers how these gaps emerge, how they evolve across the education system, and what policy can do to address them.
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3. Education policy evaluation
Does education policy achieve what it sets out to do? The EERC conducts rigorous evaluations of education policies and interventions, applying randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and natural experiment approaches to understand what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
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4. Schools, colleges and higher education
How do educational institutions shape student outcomes? This strand examines school and college effectiveness, the determinants of institutional quality, and how features of the higher education system — including choice, access, and financing — affect who participates and what they gain from it.
Selected projects:
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Data and methods
[Placeholder: brief description of the EERC’s approach to data — including linked administrative datasets such as the National Pupil Database, the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset, and the Labour Force Survey — and the range of empirical methods employed across the four strands.]