How institutions shape behaviour and policy

I trained as an applied economic theorist, studying coalitions, public choice and political incentives. Those questions still inform my work on elections, conflict, media and group formation. Collaborations in policing, justice and health have since led me to new questions where economic thinking can make a practical contribution.

Since 2012, I have worked with UK police and criminal-justice organisations on diversion, youth violence, domestic abuse, knife crime and investigative decisions. Increasingly, I also study how violence and childhood adversity affect health and wellbeing over the life course.

For me, evaluation is not simply a verdict on whether something “works”. I want to know who benefits, what it costs, how it is implemented and whether the approach can succeed elsewhere. That is why I combine economic evaluation with implementation research and co-production.