Graduate School

Economics research overview

The University of Portsmouth's Department of Economics is located within the Portsmouth Business School (PBS). It has over 30 members of staff engaged in teaching and research.

The Department is committed to the provision of high quality teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We offer a wide range of degree choices at both of these levels and are able to attract students from the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.

Research in the Department focuses on traditional areas of economics including finance, education, energy, development, health, labour economics and economic history. Specific research achievements include analysis and modelling of regional productivity and growth, the modelling of UK energy demand, parental preference and choices of schools, economic tensions and conflicts in the Commonwealth and the economics of emerging life-style businesses.

For more information about how to apply please contact the Portsmouth Business School using the Contact us page.

If you have any questions about studying for a research degree at the University of Portsmouth, please complete our enquiry form.

Key Facts

RAE Rating: The results of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 confirm that we cover a wide spectrum of research to a high quality level. It is a mark of the continuing progress we have made in research over the years and shows that, taking into account the number of researchers submitted and the quality of our work, we are among the most research-active business schools in our region.

Among the 90 UK universities submitting work in the Business and Management category, Portsmouth Business School submitted the 15th largest number of research active staff and was 27th on a weighted quality basis, placing it as the highest south coast university in the UK and the highest modern university in this category.  The funding received by HECFE places the Business School among the top 28 universities, while other external funding to the Business School has increased by 74% over past years.

Academic staff: 29, please see link to staff list webpage.

Postgraduate research students: 25

Internal links: Because of its teaching and research interest in environmental issues, the Department now has links with staff in other Faculties through the University-wide Portsmouth Environment Group (PEG).

External links: Sources of research funding include the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the European Union,  HM Government (DFID, DEFRA), the Royal Navy, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Wildlife Fund and the NHS Executive.

Resources

The Department is located in the modern Richmond Building on the main campus.  A short walk away is the newly-enlarged University Library, which houses an extensive collection of textbooks and other learning materials. 

The University is well equipped with IT facilities and online resources that enable research degrees students to access very large amounts of information.  This includes electronic books and journals, economic statistics and geographical data.

Research Centres

The Department of Economics is home for two research centres. Each centre has a distinct identity, having a recognised track record in research and consultancy.

Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources  (CEMARE)
CEMARE was established in the early 1960s to promote multi-disciplinary research into marine resources, with an emphasis on the economic analysis of fisheries. Since then it has developed into an international centre for the multi-disciplinary research of aquatic resources and is actively involved in research, consultancy, training and advanced studies, particularly in fisheries economics.

Centre for Local and Regional Economic Analysis  (CREA)
CLREA undertakes research and consultancy in local and regional economic analysis, ranging from econometric modelling, questionnaire design and surveying, through to locational and sectoral economic impact analysis as well as economic profiling and the formation of local economic development strategies.

Research Areas

Business and Management

Research in the Department focuses on traditional areas of economics including finance, education, energy, development, health, labour economics and economic history. Specific research achievements include analysis and modelling of regional productivity and growth, the modelling of UK energy demand, parental preference and choices of schools, economic tensions and conflicts in the Commonwealth and the economics of emerging life-style businesses.

Environmental and Resource Economics

The Department has an established research interest in the socio-economic and human aspects of the natural environment, with a particular specialism in the economics of aquatic living resources. Much of this work is focussed within the research group CEMARE, whose staff collaborate in joint research projects with many other institutions within the UK, Europe and further afield funded by a range of organisations. CEMARE's principal funding agencies include the European Commission, the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Research activities encompass the full range of expertise held by CEMARE staff, and include : bioeconomic modelling of fisheries; economic and legal evaluations of fisheries management measures; economics of marine aquaculture; analysis of fish markets; traditional management of artisanal fisheries; analysis of the regional role of the seafood industry; valuation of aquatic resources and wetlands; marine resource damage assessment.

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