Mr Damian Whittard

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About me

I am an Associate Professor in Economics, Programme Manager of the Wage and Employment Dynamics Project, and an Academic Assessor for the Government Economic Service. 

I am also a Research Fellow funded by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) investment (part of UK Research and Innovation). My fellowship has been funded to test alternative measures of green jobs, applying theses to better understand the earnings and career prospects of those working in them in England and Wales.

As principal investigator on the £1million, Wage and Employment Dynamics programme, I am managing a team of academics to link administrative data sources together to create a labour market data spine for the UK. The linked dataset is available as a public good to academic and goverenmnet researchers, as such, this Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project is transforming labour market research in the UK.

I am a member of the Data Research, Access and Governance Network Research Group (DRAGoN) at UWE Bristol. My research focuses on the core areas of economic measurement, labour markets and pedagogy, with particular interest in exploring intersection between data, policy and practice. I have a strong track record of publishing both academic and policy related research. My work has been presented at some of the most prestigious economic organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund, the Bank of England and Her Majesty's Treasury.

I have a passion for applying economics to solve real world problems. For example, I have recently completed research projects that have impacted on policy and practice for organisations such as the Open Data Institute, the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, Low Pay Commission, West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and Power to Change. I also undertake pro bono work by providing economic advice to the local economic development community. 

Prior to working in academia, I spent much of my career working in a policy environment, initially at the South West Regional Development Agency and then the Office for National Statistics. During this time, I represented the UK on various international boards and committees for organisations such as the Organisation for Cooperation and Development and the European Central Bank. 


Area of expertise

Teaching and learning, national accounts; balance of payments; well-being; regional economics; low pay; evidence-based policy making; quality and interpretation of government data. I am also a qualified Prince2 Project Manager.

Publications

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