(photograph:Amanda Gosling(left),Miguel León-Ledesma(right)
Dear Students (new, established and prospective),
I am the new head of the School of Economics withDr Matloob PirachaandDr Mathan Satchias co-heads. It is the first time that such a team approach to running the school has been tried and we believe this innovative approach holds great promise for the future.
I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the previous Head of School, Professor Miguel Leon-Ledesma, for his invaluable contributions and dedication in leading the department to where it stands today, building of course on the work of previous heads such as Alastair Bailey and Alan Carruth.
我想表达怎样的公关oud we all are to be part of the School of Economics, let alone to lead it. The three of us have been here for a considerable time—I joined in 2006 when most of our current students were just toddlers too young to talk, let alone to grasp the concepts of comparative and absolute advantage! Over the years, we have witnessed incredible growth and many milestones, including the recent graduation of the first cohort of degree apprentices.
To our incoming first-year students and those considering applying throughclearing, we have an intriguing new module on economic history that I hope will inspire you! By exploring the overarching question of why and how history matters in the determination of economic outcomes, this module brings in the diverse economic histories of nations from across the developing and developed world. At the end of the module, you will have a deeper understanding of the factors that have contributed to the extreme inequalities we witness across the globe today.
Economics is often criticised for assuming people are perfectly rational decision makers. Another new module, offered to second years, combines economic analysis with a perhaps more realistic set of assumptions (mostly from psychology) about how people make choices. This will enable you to come to an informed judgement about the power of these approaches to explain and predict human behaviour as well as the implications for policy on things like pensions and savings, healthy eating and so on!
Our new modules complement our existing degree courses, which offer a unique blend of skill acquisition and real-world understanding, enabling you to grasp why outcomes vary across individuals, time, countries and regions.
We are also excited about our new home at Sibson. We can’t wait to meet all of you and share our passion for economics.
Best wishes,
Amanda Gosling
