Education

PhD    Queen's University of Belfast (2002)                                   

BA      University of York (1994) (First Class Honours)

Appointments and Affiliations

Current

External Academic Review member, Undergraduate Economics, Heriot-Watt University (2025)

External examiner, Undergraduate Economics, University of Leeds (2023-2027)

Member & QUB representative, Confederation of British Industry Northern Ireland Economic Strategy and Competitiveness Working Group (Since 2024) 

Fellow, The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice , QUB (since 2023)

Member, Northern Ireland Fiscal Commission Expert Stakeholder Group (since 2021)

Member, Northern Ireland Productivity Forum,The Productivity Institute (since 2021)

Member, Royal Irish Academy Social Sciences Committee (Elected 2018-22, Reelected 2022-)

Member, Urban and Regional Economics Seminar Group (since 2016)

Member, Nevin Economic Research Institute Research Review Panel (since 2013)

Auditor, Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies (since 2021)

Research Associate, Centre for Economic History, Queen's University Belfast (since 2012)

Research Associate, Centre for Economics, Policy and History, Queen's University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin (since 2023)

Past 

External Examiner, Undergraduate Economics, University College Cork (2012-16)

Editor/Co-editor, Irish Economic and Social History (2012-2023)

ECO 3013 Economics of Corporate Strategy (semester 2) 2016/17-Present

PAI 2045 Politics and Economics of UK Devolution (semester 2 ) 2010/11-Present

Current PhD Supervision

Kyle Richmond (co-supervised with Chris Colvin and Stephen Billington), NINE DTP 1+3 MRes/PhD Economics (since 2020)

Oliver Parker (supervising with Alan de Bromhead) (since 2021)

Economic History, Business History, Topics in Contemporary Business Economics (e.g. Brexit, Regions and Devolution), Applied Institutional Economics, Economic Organisation of Violence, Communicating Economics (e.g. pedagogy and public understanding)

Administration

Current

Director, Masters of Public Administration (joint TCD-QUB degree), 2021-2023, translated into overseeing MSc Economics restructuring/creation of a four year undergraduate degree, 2023-

Past

Associate Director of International Communication, QMS, 2018-2021

Programme Director BSc Economics & Business Economics, QMS, 2009-2012

Elected Member of School Management Board, QMS, 2010- 2015

Economics Member, Undergraduate Education Committee, QMS, 2007-2015

In terms of biography and outlook, I'm an applied economist who is drawn to a range of tools involving contemporary and historical problems. While I have spent my career in a variety of academic, public and private sector settings working with the job title economist, I've a strong historical training as well. So in terms of labels economic historian or business historian are also accurate descriptions of some of my work. My papers use a variety of quantitative and qualititative techniques according to the puzzle or the issue at hand.  Some papers depend on archival methods, others the application of microeconomics and others are much less formal. I have extensive experience in the public and private sector as well as academia going back to the 1990s. I've provided consulting advice to a range of public and private bodies during my time at Queen's Business School (QBS) (2007-present).  Strategic knowledge is therefore something I have learned from both the study of economics and economic history as well as via practical experience in policy formulation and pension fund management. This breadth of career experience has influenced my research agenda - an agenda that has evolved over time based on teaching full time in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. I have a sustained research record since 2005 consistently publishing in highly rated journals. In terms of research statement my primary interest covers the areas of economic and business history. In these areas I have been recognised by being editor of Irish Economic and Social History (2012-2023) as well as being a Plenary lecturer for the Economic History Society in 2019. My publications from 2005 to the present have often been in the 3/4/4* category. My highest profile papers include a paper in the the November 2023 volume of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (ETP) (a FT 50 outlet and  4* on the AJS 2024 ABS rankings),   Economic History Review (EcHR) and Business History (both 4 outlets on current ABS rankings) as well as book chapters with some of the world's premier academic publishers including Oxford University Press, Palgrave/Macmillan and Routledge. In addition to publishing journal articles in the EcHR, I've published three invited review articles and have at least one forthcoming book review. The second area is contemporary business economics: I am concerned with how real-world businesses use economics/strategic management and react to economic conditions as well as regional economics more generally. There is a connection between place-based economic strategy and strategic positioning at the level of the firm. I've publications in this area  in such journal outlets as Regional Studies (4 on ABS), Cambridge Journal of Economics (CJE) (3), Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society (CJRES) (3), Contemporary Social Science (CSS), National Institute Economic Review (NIER). In the case of Regional Studies I've published there twice, and this is also the case for CJE and CSS. The third area is applied institutional economics and I've  published The Journal of Institutional Economics, Journal of Economic Methodology as well as a number of book chapters with such publishers as Edward Elgar. Fourth area is the economic organization of violence. I've published in the  Journal of Institutional Economics and Terrorism and Political Violence in this area.  Furthermore, my recently published chapter in the Routledge Handbook entitled "How Economists Have Interpreted the Troubles"  brings together the more general literature on the economics of terrorism with a survey of the economic literature relating to the Northern Irish conflict.  Communicating economics is my last research interest. I am interested in the way economists persuade each other, teach students and talk to the public. My recent co-authored working paper with Chris Colvin is an example of my emerging work in this area. The challenges of teaching judgement in a business school setting are at the heart of this research, and we suggest how economic history can help contribute towards business education. Forthcoming research includes further work on rent-seeking as well as economic history/development, industrial policy, entrepreneurship and political violence as well as moving into strategic management type and regional topics. In addition, I consistently have provided commentary informed by my research to a range of local, national and international media outlets. 

ResearchGate Scores (as of  30/6/2025)

111.4 Research Interest Score

8,042 Reads

344 Google Citations and a an H index of 11, i10 index of 14 on Google Scholar

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles for:

Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Australisian Journal of Economics Education, British Journal of Politics and International Relations,  Business History, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Economic History Review, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Enterprise and Society, European Journal of Finance, Financial History Review, Irish Economic and Social History, Irish Historical Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Institutional Economics, Journal of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland, Labour History Review, Managerial and Decision Economics, Public Choice, Regional Studies, Small Business Economics, Terrorism and Political Violence.

Other refereeing (e.g. Books, conferences, research councils)

Cambridge University Press, Claremont Royal Irish Academy Grant Scheme, New Zealand Association of Economists Conference, Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Pearson (FT Prentice Hall), Polity Press, Red Globe Press, Routledge, Royal Irish Academy Ireland-Scotland Bilateral Network Grants Scheme, Taylor and Francis, Irish Economics Association Conference 2025, Irish Research Council (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Irish Research Council (Laureate Awards).