University of Nottingham renews ESCoE’s research programme
The Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) has announced its work programme after its funding was extended for a further five years by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
From January 2023 the ESCoE will begin the development of a new programme of work on economic statistics, hosted at King’s Business School at King’s College London with Professor Rebecca Riley as Director, and Professor Paul Mizen, of the University of Nottingham, as Deputy Director.
Established in 2017 with the support of the Office for National Statistics, ESCoE is the UK’s first-ever dedicated academic centre of expertise for economic measurement and one of just a handful around the world.
With the new funding, the ESCoE will:
Deliver research and analysis that enables the ONS to meet its vision of delivering world-class economic statistics
Deliver research and conceptual work which is influential in the international standard-setting agenda, allowing ONS to exert greater influence over the direction of travel of such standards
Deliver an international annual conference to facilitate the sharing of best practice and world-class challenge to the work of the ESCoE
Provide opportunities for joint working between the ONS and academic community
Work in collaboration with the ONS Data Science Campus to develop new techniques
Promote and develop a wider academic community with skills and research experience in economic statistics.
Professor Rebecca Riley, Director of the ESCoE, King’s College London, said: “Our programme of work looks at new challenges for economic statistics, from increased concerns about the climate and the environment, to the changing nature of work and shifts in the way we contribute to the economy over our lifetimes. I am proud that King’s will be at the forefront of research that we hope will have a significant impact on the development of national statistics, and in turn support better decision-making on issues we all care about.”
Prof Paul Mizen
The ESCoE plans for the next five years, drawn up by the contributing universities and institutes, address important challenges for economic statistics and produce better data that will benefit all those who rely on the ONS. I am excited to be part of this, and to have the opportunity to work with over 60 researchers at King’s, Nottingham and beyond.
Professor Paul Mizen, Deputy Director of the ESCoE, University of Nottingham
King’s College London and the University of Nottingham are collaborating with the University of Cambridge, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Nesta, the University of New South Wales, the University of Strathclyde, and many other partners.
The programme draws on a network of more than 60 established experts in economic and environmental-economic statistics from across the UK and internationally. The ESCoE’s foundation followed the recommendations of the Independent Review of UK Economic Statistics by Professor Sir Charles Bean, published March 2016. This Review recommended that “in conjunction with suitable partners in academia and the user community, ONS should establish a new centre of excellence for the analysis of emerging and future issues in measuring the modern economy”.
There are six programmes of research currently planned for the next phase of ESCoE:
Beyond GDP and Inclusive Wealth
National Accounts
Net-zero, Climate Change and Environment
Subnational Statistics
Productivity, Innovation and Business Dynamics
Labour Markets and Households