The RES Summit is an annual RES member event with 2 parts. The first part draws together a panel of experts who will explore the event theme: Economics of the Justice System. The theme has been chosen by RES President, Professor Imran Rasul who’s current project with the IFS: Transforming justice: the interplay of social change and policy reforms, funded by The Nuffield Foundation considers how a well-functioning justice system is critical to social welfare and trust in institutions.
The second part of the event will provide practical insight from educators into how we can embed teaching within core economics undergraduate units and the general principles that can be applied when embedding within undergraduate degrees.
The 2025 Summit will cover the economics of the justice system. Book to attend. Although this is an RES Member only event, for convenience non-members can join the RES for 12 months at the point of booking.
This programme is part of the RES Professional Development offer and supports the RES strategic priorities; bringing communities of economists together, advocate for economics, improving diversity, inclusion and integrity in the profession and developing the next generation of economists.
This research session will draw on work from the UK and elsewhere to discuss new evidence around prolific offending, victimization and perceptions of the criminal justice system, the labour market impacts of criminal records (including the role of firms and managers), and the design of the prison system, in particular the spread of synthetic drugs in prisons, and the role of prison inspections as a managerial tool to improve prisoner safety and wellbeing.
Associate Professor in Economics I University of Sussex
Rocco is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex. He is a labour economist whose research lies at the intersection of applied microeconomics and public policy, focusing on criminal justice and institutional accountability.
His current work spans three areas: wrongful convictions and the exoneration of the innocent, with attention to DNA technology, civil society efforts, and prosecutorial incentives; prison conditions and governance, including the impact of drugs, inspections, and management practices; and political influence, lobbying, and regulatory evasion in opaque institutional settings.
Professor in Economics I University of Gothenburg
Randi is a Professor of Economics at the University of Gothenburg and CEPR Research Fellow. She is a labor economist, and has conducted extensive research on the economics of crime and the criminal justice systems in the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden. Current research emphasizes the determinants of crime; jury and judge decision making; racial biases in the criminal justice system; the effects of prison, and the labor market for workers with criminal records.
RES President
Imran Rasul is a Professor of Economics at University College London, Director of the Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and Co-Director of the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Centre on Wealth Concentration, Inequality and the Economy. In these roles he has supported policy engagement among economists, advised early career researchers, and brought together research and education on the study of wealth concentration and economic inequality. He has served as a Council Member and Trustee of the Royal Economic Society (RES) from 2018-2023 and Chaired the RES Publications Committee from 2018-21.
In the second part of the RES Summit, we will explore economics education, through the lens of the economics of crime and justice. The panel will discuss a range of approaches, and will explore topics such as:
In addition, members of the panel will explore the synergies that exist there between the education of UG/Graduate students and communicating with policy makers.
Assistant Professor in Economics I University of Exeter
I am an Assistant Professor in Economics (teaching track) at the University of Exeter and a Senior Fellow of the Advance HE. My research interests are on Economics of Crime, Housing and Energy, and Economics Education. Some of my current work focuses on criminal justice reforms and their societal impact, as well as the role of information provision in residential energy market. My economics education research looks into collaborative learning and assessment techniques, and I co-lead a national groupwork community of practice under the Centre of Teaching and Learning Economics, UCL. I received my PhD from the University of Leicester in 2021 and prior to that I was a Management Trainee in the Basel Risk Analytics Team, HDFC Bank, India. Before Exeter, I worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Southampton in an ESRC funded project in Economics of Crime. I also serve as a mentor at the Women in Economics Initiative (WiE).
Deans’ Professor of Criminology and Economics I University of California
Emily Owens is the Deans’ Professor of Criminology and Economics at the University of California, Irvine, and a Visiting Professor in the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. Professor Owens studies a wide range of topics in the economics of crime, including policing, sentencing, and the impact of local public policies on criminal behavior. Her research examines how government policies affect the prevalence of criminal activity as well as how agents within the criminal justice system, particularly police, prosecutors, and judges, respond to policy changes. Professor Owens is engaged in ongoing research projects on police training, indigent defense, immigration policy, and local economic development programs. Professor Owens received her PhD in economics from the University of Maryland-College Park.
Associate Professor I University of Bristol
Arnaud Philippe is an associate professor at the University of Bristol. He is a labour economist working on the economics of crime. His research explores both the reason why people are committing crimes and the way they are judge in France, the US, Czech Republic, and Denmark. He is collaborating with the French penitentiary administration to document the effect of sanctions.
On top of his course on the economics of crime at the university of Bristol, Arnaud presents the research conducted in the field to various audience: professional judges but also lay-people through a book and several conferences in France.
Professor of Economics Education | University of Bristol
Steven Proud is a Professor of Economics Education at the University of Bristol, and deputy chair of the Society’s Professional Development and Education Committee. He is an editor of the International Review of Economics Education, and is an executive board member of the Economics Network, which works to enhance the quality of economics teaching and learning. Steven’s research focusses on using empirical methods to evaluate the impact of pedagogical innovations.
Alongside this, Steven regularly writes for, and is an editor for, the Economics Review, providing application of economics to real-world problems for A-level students.
This is an RES member (online) event, you can join the RES as a member from as little as £20.00 per year and receive a host of benefits including access to some key resources.
Sponsored by:
Event lead by the RES Professional Development and Education Committee as part of the RES Professional Development Series.
The RES Summit is open to RES members. Become a member, or learn about member benefits here.
